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LCHR's countryside trips to follow up the parliamentary elections round of 2005 – 2010
The election's supervising committee continues its' obstinacy by putting difficult stipulations on independent supervision of NGOs over the electoral process, as the minister of justice has stipulated the judge's approval for supervisors to enter the monitoring committee and that the monitoring process must be under the supervision of the National Council for Human Rights. The LCHR wonders, are are NGOs incapacitated (incompetent) to be dealt with through another NGOs other than the elections supervising committee? What is the point?
The LCHR hopes that the minister of justice will issue a decision to allow human rights organizations to supervise the upcoming parliamentary elections. The LCHR also demands the candidates in this electoral round to support civil society supervisors inside and outside the electoral committees.
LCHR's field follow ups to the electoral process in Qalubeya, Giza, Port Said and Bany Swief during the past 10 days as an implementation to its' workshop recommendations held in 21/10/2005 have revealed a number of notes:
There were some violations while the candidates were presenting their nomination papers in some security bureaus, as some of them were mistreated and humiliated by the bureau's officers. The candidates of the national party obtained the symbols of "the camel and the crescent" no 1 and 2, their nomination procedures were finished in minutes, while other candidates waited for several hours.
Some candidates expressed their resentment, as the electoral tables contained names of deceased people and incorrect names, in addition to that, some bureaus to quickly deliver the candidates the electoral tables on CDs. In some areas, thousands of people were deprived of practicing their political rights because of such mistakes, therefore, many have agreed to vote using the national number which will solve the problems of the electoral tables. Some candidates and voters in El Qanater El Khayreya – Qalubeya have stated that security forces have prevented them from entering the headquarters of the electoral committees to vote, three people from this village have died during the past elections in the year 2000 because of these violations. There must be a clear mechanism for the supervising committee to prevent such actions.
The general union for Egypt's workers have refused to give some workers certificates that indicate that they are laborers. Four workers have come to the LCHR to present challenges before the administrational judicial court to cancel the union's negative decision, as they have been deprived of their right to nominate themselves in the parliamentary round. Some candidates stated that the law of practicing political rights must be emended to guarantee the impartiality among citizens. Others have stated that independent committees must be established to deliver such certificates so that citizens are not deprived of their right in participation.
Many candidates have practiced libel (slander) and intimidation especially candidates of the national party or independents. Many have violated the law by tearing signs of other candidates, marches and conflicts have been made against other candidates which could have led to violence events like what happened in El Galatma village – Giza, as candidates symbols were used in an offending way that doesn't befit the public morals (decencies).
Some governmental officials helped candidates from the national party in their advertising campaigns, citizens were promised to gain facilities, like drainage networks, hospitals and secondary schools, like what happened in Warrak and Oseem, as a candidate of the national party has confirmed that he will open the governmental hospital that was closed for many years in Warrak if he has succeeded in these elections, although he has a position in the municipality for many years now, and he could have provided the people with this service without obtaining a chair at the parliament. There are some officials who help and support candidates of the national party to exchange interests and benefits or for tribal reasons, like if they were from the same village or city. That happened in some of the governorates followed up by the LCHR: Port Said, Giza, Qalubeya and Bany Swief. The preliminary remarks indicate that competition between candidates till now is not based on political programs but it is only struggle for services, interests, influence and authority.
LCHR's follow ups of the electoral advertisement during the last period showed that some partial candidates are not obligated with their programs or political position in some cases and issues related to democracy, women, Copts or religion. The follow ups have indicated that some candidates have used religion, Arabism, nationalism and tribalism in their electoral campaigns.
The LCHR have presented the complaints of some candidates to the minister of justice as the chairman of the supervising committee on the elections to guarantee the impartiality of the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The LCHR demands the supervising committee to allow CSOs to monitor and supervise the elections without guardianship, it also demands it to work on finding mechanisms to guarantee CSOs supervision and the impartiality of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Egypt.
In this context, the LCHR calls all CSOs working in the countryside to coordinate together to spread awareness among citizens about their rights in political participation to contribute in making a better future and a free and democratic country.