The first statement of the international mission to follow the referendum on the constitution

The work of the international mission to follow up on the referendum on constitutional amendments - Egypt - 2019 began in the early morning today, Saturday, April 20, 2019, to follow up the voting and participation process through 69 members of the international mission, deployed in 14 Egyptian governorates, and they are communicating with a central operations room in the heart of Cairo. To receive statements and reports.

It is worth noting that the coalition includes 4 “international and local organizations from three continents, which are Eco organizations” from Greece, a seated forum from Uganda, Volunteers Without Borders from Lebanon, in addition to the Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights from Egypt.

According to the observations made by the delegation of the international mission, in addition to the observations of local followers spread in fourteen Egyptian governorates, a number of observations were observed:

In general, a calm atmosphere dominated the progress of the process and participation rates tending to average in most of the committees visited by the mission, with celebratory manifestations dominating a large number of committees.

 In the governorate of Giza, several mass rallies of citizens on their way to cast their votes were monitored and documented, especially in the urban areas and Bulaq Dakrur, amid playing patriotic songs, distributing flags to citizens and urging them to participate positively in the constitutional referendum. It was also observed that the former parliamentary candidate, Asma al-Hakim, led a large march in Umraniye, during which she chanted slogans calling on citizens to come and participate. It was also noted that the singer “Hakim” boarded a bus promoting participation and called on citizens to participate in the referendum.

Some members of the mission faced difficulties in Alexandria governorate, represented by the security forces' refusal to enter the customs district committee, numbers 18-19, and then the delegation left without entering the committee. A complaint was contacted with the commission and a complaint was submitted, which was quickly decided by Counselor Lashin Ibrahim, head of the commission, and the concerned authorities were contacted, and their access to polling stations was facilitated.

Perhaps the most prominent thing that attracted attention in general in today's events is that the "Nation's Future" party took the lead, with many of its sub-secretariats in the provinces inviting citizens to participate through a large group of young people wearing T-shirts with the party's slogans, and other slogans written on it "Do what is right." “. Several incidents were also monitored and documented as party members facilitated some voters' access to their committees through volunteers from the party’s youth who use portable computers and ask citizens for their "identification identity" to facilitate their access to their committees.

The delegation in Qalyubia observed a large march of citizens led by Sabri Abdel Shafi, Director of the Educational Administration in Banha, inviting citizens to participate. In Minya Governorate, the President of Minia University, Dr. Mustafa Abdel Nabi, provided buses to transport students and faculty members to the polling stations, in order to facilitate the expatriate students and residents of university cities. A similar incident was also observed in Sohag Governorate, where Dr. Ahmed Aziz, President of Sohag University, led the students in a march to urge the public to participate.

With regard to the Cairo governorate, which witnessed a disparity in attendance and voting rates, between low turnout in several places, and intense turnout in other areas, especially the Sahel region in Shubrā Egypt, it was noted that the Cairo Chamber of Commerce provided about 10 cars to transport citizens to the polling stations in several separate areas. The province is free of charge.

In the Gharbia governorate, the front is led by the “Salafi” Nour Party, whose members carried banners in support of the constitutional amendments in the polling stations in both Tanta and Kafr El-Zayat.

In North Sinai, Major General Abdel Fadil Shousha, Governor of North Sinai, provided several free cars to facilitate the citizens' access to the polling stations in the cities of Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid.

In general, the most prominent observations were the spread of marches by parties that seem supportive of the amendment in many areas at the level of the governorates where the mission works, while the demonstration calling for participation is also spread by the youth of parties and public figures, who contributed to providing transportation for the voters. The delegation praised the security measures around the polling stations and the ease of access for the elderly and people with disabilities. He also drew attention to the high rate of women's participation.

The mission has not yet monitored practices that may affect the exercise of the right to vote, but it draws attention to the need to ensure that the ceremonial manifestations do not affect the will of the voters, and the mission will work in the coming hours to verify that the mass transfer operations are not linked to any benefits in kind or cash for the voters.