2008 local elections

Local elections 2008 Heavy security presence ... weak voter presence

2008 local elections

Heavy security presence ... weak voter presence

One of the strangest rounds of peaceful transfer of power through the ballot boxes started in the morning, namely the 2008 local elections, which were postponed for two years with the justification of issuing a new law for local administration, which has not been done until today, in addition to the state of political and societal movement, which witnessed a state of tension that the country rarely passes through if The protest movements prevailed, and the number of demonstrations, sit-ins and strikes increased in a way that added momentum and strength to political life, which made many researchers and experts expect a major change in the form and patterns of the relationship between citizens as they are the real decision-makers in determining and selecting those who represent them in the elected popular councils and between the executive authority as the body entrusted with investigation Programs for development and advancement of society However, this opinion was soon hit by a blow that may be severe or violent during the current electoral round for several reasons, perhaps the most important of which are: -

- The low turnout for candidacy, whether from independents or from the opposition political forces, whose number of candidates did not exceed about five thousand candidates, in the best expectations, despite the fact that the required number of seats exceeds fifty thousand, which represents a severe blow to the transgression and the peaceful transfer of power through competitive battles between political forces close to Parity.

- The strike called by the political forces on Sunday, April 6, which caused disturbance and anxiety, which was used by the executive authority to impose further restrictions on the voting process, which had a great impact on voter turnout to cast their votes, as the committees witnessed a state of alert according to the observations of the (Voter Voice) observers. Extreme security, especially in the governorates of Gharbia, Dakahlia, Beheira, Qena and Sohag, in addition to the process of closing committees in a large number of departments.

- The return of the traditional approach to tampering with the will of the voters in light of the disappearance of the judiciary and the assignment of the supervision process over the electoral committees to the employees of the state administrative apparatus, who entered as a genuine party in the electoral process with his absolute support for the ruling party at the expense of all the opposing forces. Abuses monitored by (the vote of the voter) observers.

- The absence of the voter's voice, whether it was due to a reluctance to participate in the political process or was the result of fear and dread of expressing a free opinion that might hit him by shrapnel. Election and voting, which is the goal that the project sought to achieve, and the concerns of the voter were a relatively impediment to him, especially since, on the other hand, among the voters there was a keenness to participate and cleared a position on the electoral process and its obstacles and obstacles.

- The first hours until the moment of writing the report showed a state of extreme security tension, as security men abandoned their role in securing the committees and maintaining order and devoted themselves to preventing voters from voting or attacking observers. The arrest of Amr Mansour Badr, the coordinator of the project (Voice of the Voter) in Qalyubia Governorate, the arrest of Ali Ahmed Najah Abdel Khaleq in the Kerdasa Police Department in Giza, and the harassment of the observers (Voice of the Elector) in Sohag and Assiut.

- In this oversight framework, the observers of the Maat Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Studies monitored the following incidents in the electoral commissions:

v In Sons Al-Thawra School in Bandar Al-Minya district, the committees were closed and voters were prevented from voting in the school's three committees.

v. In the Al-Khulafa Al-Rashideen School in Al-Omraniya district, voters are transported by cars belonging to the National Party to the entrance to the school with permission to vote collectively.

v In Al-Ikhlas Elementary School in Al-Amraniya district, the observers detected errors in the voter rolls.

v In the School of Agriculture in Dakahlia, the committee was closed with the knowledge of Massad Lotfi Al-Batal, a member of the People's Assembly.

v In the Sinbillawin district, the candidates' agents were detained and prevented from entering the committees until they were transferred to an unknown location.

v In the district of Zagazig in the Governorate of Sharkia, observers monitored the presence of intense propaganda at the gates and entrances of the electoral commissions in favor of Ramadan Atiya (Al-Tank) Abdul-Azim Kamal (Najafah) Ahmed Al-Akkad (Al-Jamal) Ali Aziz (telephone).

v In the Nahal and Sadat schools in Belbeis district, the committees were closed and no one was allowed to approach them.

v In the Qutour constituency, observers monitored the existence of a collective voting process for candidate Rashid Al-Zariqi.

v In Motobas constituency, observers observed an intense security siege on the headquarters of the polling stations.

v In the Umm Al-Abul School Committee in the Abu Qurqas district, observers monitored the presence of a high level of security and that as soon as a Toyota (lead) car entered the committee’s headquarters, it was closed and voters were prevented from entering.

v In the Secondary School Committee for Boys in the Dilengat District, the (Voice of the Voter) observers monitored the detention of an observer belonging to the Egyptian Association for Supporting Democratic Development and prevented him from entering the committee and withdrawing the observation card and ID card from him with the knowledge of the chief of investigations.

v In the Culture Palace Committee in the Dilengat district, observers monitored the low turnout process.

v In the Kafr Shukr Elementary School Committee for Girls, observers monitored the process of preventing entry to the committee and detaining observers.

v In the Beban Preparatory School Committee in the Kom Hamada district, observers monitored the presence of security men inside the polling stations and preventing them from entering and voting.

v In the Qus district, the observers of the (Voice of the Voter) project were stopped and detained and transferred to the Qus police station, and they were prevented from overseeing or leaving until after an undertaking not to participate.

v In the Qasim Amin School Committee in the Customs Department, the observers observed that a police officer prevented journalists from entering the committees.

v In Al-Shaheed School in Bandar Qena district, a gathering of Ashraf Jumah by the observer (Voice of the Voter) and all the observers of the participating associations were prevented from entering the committee with their threat of arrest if they insisted on participating.

v In the promenade district, observers of the voter’s vote monitored an intense presence of suspects and precedents around the committees to prevent the delegates and supporters of the Coptic candidate / Peter Nabil from participating in the electoral process in the protection of the security men who refused any interference, citing the supposed (negative) neutrality in their duties.

The electoral atmosphere in which the local elections are experiencing in this session represents a very violent slope that requires great ability and skill to overcome its disadvantages and restore the confidence of the voter whose voice and eyes targeted us in order to be a substitute for us in showing and expressing positions and biases in the electoral process to restore popular participation and the spirit of citizenship. Limiting wills and silencing it is difficult if we did not handle it properly to let our voices roar and our freedom.

Topics

Share !

RECENTLY ADDED

RELATED CONTENT

القائمة
en_USEnglish