Brussels, 02/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - The EU election observation mission has described the presidential elections in Egypt on 26, 27 and 28 May as “calm and peaceful” but there were shortfalls in terms of human rights. “Our 150 observers, deployed in 26 governorates, said that the procedures were for the most part followed peacefully and calmly”, said the head of mission, Mario David MEP (EPP, Portugal) on Thursday 29 May. “The ballot, the vote-counting and the compilation of the results were generally well-conducted”, he added. Violence linked to the elections was limited over the pre-electoral period, said the mission in its preliminary report.
However, while the election “was administered in line with the law”, this was done “in an environment below the constitutional principles”, according to David. “Freedoms of association, of assembly and expression [were] subjects for concern”, he added. In David's view, “the drafting of the new law on the parliamentary elections could provide an appropriate opportunity to respond to these concerns” (our translation).
The right to vote and the right to stand for election for all citizens who are not fully protected by the current legal framework were also a subject for concern. David highlighted a general climate of limited freedom of expression, which would have led to self-censorship for journalists. He criticised the imprisonment of journalists from Al-Jazeera and the detention of others without charge. The different resources of the two candidates had an impact on the ability of the two campaigns to reach the voters.
The mission also believed that the decision to continue voting for a third day, added at the last moment to compensate for a low turnout, “caused pointless uncertainty in the electoral process”.
EU takes note of the conclusion of the election. “The EU takes good note of the conclusion of the presidential elections in Egypt, awaiting the announcement of the final results of the vote. On the basis of the preliminary statement of the EU election observation mission, the EU also takes good note of the overall peaceful and orderly conduct of the elections and the level of participation”, the European External Action Service (EEAS) told EUROPE.
The head of the European Endowment for Democracy, Jerzy Pomianowski, believed that the low turnout (estimated at 47.3%) was a “strong sign of apathy and lack of people's trust”. He said he was “very concerned about the future of democracy in Egypt”.
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won the elections against his left-wing opponent, Hamdine Sabahi, with 93.3% of the votes to 3%, according to the preliminary results. While he acknowledged his defeat, Sabahi criticised these figures, believing that they were “an insult to the intelligence of Egyptians”. He also lodged a complaint with the electoral commission highlighting “irregularities” and a campaign “led by al-Sisi supporters in the polling stations”. He called for the votes made on the additional third day to be made void. (CG)