- Title: Egypt sets date for senate elections in August
- Date: 5th July 2020
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (JULY 4, 2020) (REUTERS) JOURNALISTS SEATED DURING PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE DATE FOR EGYPT SENATE ELECTION SIGN READING (Arabic/English): "NATIONAL ELECTION AUTHORITY" (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ELECTION COMMISSIONER, LASHEEN IBRAHIM, SAYING: "Elections will be held domestically from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. local time, on Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 and 12 August, 2020. The results will be announced and published in the official gazette on Wednesday, August 19, 2020." CAMERAS FILMING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ELECTION COMMISSIONER, LASHEEN IBRAHIM, SAYING: "The final election results (after runoff) will be announced and published in the official gazette on Wednesday, 16 September, 2020, at the latest." JOURNALISTS SITTING DOWN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ELECTION COMMISSIONER, LASHEEN IBRAHIM, SAYING: "During this pandemic, strict laws will be implemented that organised electoral campaigns, as well as regulate the electoral process, which those supervising the elections will abide by. All precautionary measures will be taken amid these laws."
- Embargoed: 19th July 2020 14:45
- Keywords: Egypt Senate Election Egypt politics Election Upper House
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- City: CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001CLJ828L
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Egypt will hold inaugural elections for a new second parliamentary chamber, named the Council of Senators, on August 11-12, election commissioner Lasheen Ibrahim announced on Saturday (July 4).
Amendments made to Egypt's constitution last year provided for the creation of the Council of Senators, a 300-member secondary chamber that will be two-thirds elected by the public and the remainder appointed by the president.
Ibrahim said all polling stations will observe health guidelines, with all voters and polling staff required to wear masks, and social distancing measures will be enforced.
Egypt has been reporting over 1,000 new cases of coronavirus every day, so far bringing the total number of infections to 74,035, including 3,280 deaths.
The poll results will be announced on August 19 in the official state gazette, Ibrahim said, with the final electoral results announced on September 16 at the latest.
In 2013, Egypt's top court ruled that the old secondary parliamentary chamber, then-Muslim Brotherhood-led upper house named as the Shura Council was illegal but could stay on until elections, dealing the Islamists a moral blow.
The Supreme Constitutional Court had cited election law flaws as the reason for finding the upper house to be illegal.
Shortly after the overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood-backed President Mohamed Morsi, however, the upper house was dissolved, one of many decisions implemented during Egypt's transition to its current administration, led by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
(Production: Sherif Fahmy, Nadeen Ebrahim) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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