The Press Syndicate announced, on Sunday, that it will hold its mid-term elections at the headquarters of the Teachers Association in Cairo’s Al-Gezira district on 2 April.
Press Syndicate Undersecretary Khaled Mery said the supervisory committee announced elections will be held under full judicial and candidate representative supervision, with 32 electoral committees to be prepared.
He also said the counting will take place in front of the candidates and delegates, with all procedures to take place in front of General Assembly members.
Mery added that the Press Syndicate is keen on transparency at all stages, and that in response to members’ demands, the counting will take place in the sub-committees.
He said, “If the general assembly was not completed on 2 April because 2,400 members did not attend, which is the ratio of 25%, another meeting will be called after two weeks.”
He also said that, in exceptional cases, it is permissible to postpone or move the elections’ location, and will be put into effect if they are postponed or moved to a new location.
This will take place if a building with better ventilation is found, or to ensure that the full precautionary measures against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic can be better effected.
Mery received initial approval from the head of the Teachers Syndicate, Khalaf El-Zanati, to hold the elections at the latter association’s open-air area. This will ensure that preventive measures against the coronavirus can be observed.
The vote to choose a new syndicate head and six out of 12 board members has already been adjourned from March to April, due to coronavirus concerns.
The decision to put off the elections came after the Egyptian Government rejected the Press Syndicate’s initial proposal to hold the elections on 19 March. These would have taken place in tents erected outside the syndicate’s headquarters in Downtown Cairo.
The Press Syndicate had planned to hold the election outside its premises, to maintain the safety of voters amid the ongoing pandemic.
Six candidates are competing for the post of syndicate head, including incumbent chairman Diaa Rashwan, whilst 55 candidates are competing for board seats.
