By Mary Nady
Ambassador Khalil Ibrahim Al-Zuwadi, the leader of the Arab League (AL) team overseeing the 2024 Egyptian presidential elections, stated that the voting process complied with the legal guidelines governing the election, allowing voters to exercise their democratic rights without any obstacles.
Ambassador Al-Zuwadi, who is also the Assistant Secretary-General of the AL, expressed contentment with the mission’s efforts in ensuring a smoothly organized election process. These remarks were made during a press conference at the AL headquarters in Cairo, where the preliminary statement of the Arab League mission overseeing the 2024 presidential elections in Egypt was announced. Al-Zuwadi highlighted the peaceful and orderly atmosphere in which the election was carried out. The final report of the mission, which will include detailed observations and recommendations, will be released after the designated time for appeals and the announcement of the final results, expected to be on 18 December if no run-off is necessary.
The report will be handed over to the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and then submitted to the appropriate authorities in the Arab Republic of Egypt. Al-Zuwadi offered congratulations to Egypt’s leadership, government, and people for the successful conduct of the 2024 presidential elections. He emphasized the expertise of the National Electoral Authority (NEA) in Egypt, which can serve as a model for other Arab countries in holding democratic elections and processes. During the press conference, Ambassador Al-Zuwadi shared the observations of the Arab League mission on the various stages of the electoral process, affirming that the legal framework governing the election is generally in line with the international electoral commitments set forth in international treaties adopted by Egypt.
This set of laws encompasses the Egyptian constitution, regulations pertaining to elections, and resolutions issued by the National Elections Authority (NEA). No significant alterations were made to the legal framework compared to the previous presidential elections in 2018. He declared that the NEA has gained expertise from organizing numerous elections since its establishment. The head of the Arab League mission emphasized the NEA’s preparation for the electoral event by creating a strict schedule that allows ample time for each step of the electoral process. In order to streamline the voting process, the NEA allowed for adjustments to be made to polling stations and established designated stations for voters from different provinces, spread out across various governorates in Egypt. This aided in making it easier for voters to exercise their right to vote, as stated by Al-Zuwadi.
According to Extra News TV channel, the preliminary results of the 2024 presidential elections in Egypt show that incumbent President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is currently leading with over 90% of the votes. The channel also reported that presidential candidates Farid Zahran, representing the Social Democratic Party, and Hazem Omar, representing the People’s Republican Party, are competing for second place based on preliminary results gathered by the general committees across Egypt’s governorates. The NEA will start reviewing appeals against the electoral commission’s decisions on Thursday and will make a ruling on them on 15-16 December.
