649,000 EGYPTIAN EXPATS REGISTERED IN ELECTIONS DATABASE
Cairo, 8 Rabiul Akhir 1434/18 February 2013 (MINA) – The number of Egyptian expatriates registered in the High Judicial Elections Committee online database to participate in the next parliamentary elections has risen to 649,000.
The Foreign Ministry had opened registration on 8 January 2013 and closed it on Monday (18/2), according to Egypt Independent report monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
Saudi Arabia still has the highest number of Egyptians living abroad, with 300,000 names, followed by Kuwait with 125,000, the United Arab Emirates with 65,000, Qatar and the US with 29,000 each, and Canada with 12,000.
About 586,000 Egyptians living abroad were eligible to vote in the last referendum on the country’s proposed draft constitution in December.
Former presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali had announced in January that parliamentary elections would be held in April.
Since the fall of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in 2011, an Islamic organization became a political leader of Egypt for having organizational and financial skills.
Even the liberal and leftist competitors could not keep up. Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) won about 40 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections last year, and Islamist groups won seats a total of approximately 70 percent.
The Muslim Brotherhood (IM) leaders of Egypt through the FJP Saad el-Katatni said on Thursday (14/2) to win the majority of seats in Egypt’s next parliament without an alliance with other Egyptian Islamic groups.
Presidential Official said the elections scheduled for late April or early May will likely run three rounds, and maintained by the armed forces.
Sources of court said, the constitutional court of Egypt next week will provide results of the parliamentary election law to the Shura Council. The council become single legislative body during the transition of Egypt, and will adopt the law in the next few weeks. (T/P03/E1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
