(AFP PHOTO / ANWAR AMRO)
By Kenneth Changpertitum
The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR) Monday called for the abolition of pre-registration voting, which it said “represents an obstacle to millions of Egyptians.”
Preregistration requires voter participants to register their identification details at the offices of the local notary public before the voting process.
In its statement, the EOHR went on to say that voter registration “deprives millions of voters, who are constrained for reasons of work and labour conditions in their provinces or governorates, from participating in elections.”
“An estimated eight million voters are commuters on the road for reasons of work,” the organisation said. “The electoral procedure must be facilitated for the greatest amount of participation in these elections.”
The EOHR called for the Supreme Electoral Commision to apply a similar voting system to the one use for Egyptian expatriates.
Under the latter system, expatriate have been able to vote without registering in advance or holding residency in the country where the voting takes place.
The statement comes just a week ahead of Egyptian presidential elections on 26 and 27 May, in which former military chief Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is anticipated to win.
