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Results of EOHR's Shura elections monitoring
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18/6/2007
The violations and transgressions which marked the first round of the Shura Council elections continued, and monitors from the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) observed varied forms of numerous violations until 8 p.m. The most significant of these violations was the low voter-turnout caused by both acts of violence and intimidation, and the closure of polling stations. Voters were also put off taking part in the election process, and NGO monitors were prevented from entering polling stations. Group voting continued in some constituencies. The most serious violation was the assault of the head of polling stations in the Sayyeda Zeinab district, Cairo.
Below are described the most serious violations and transgressions:
a. Cairo
1. Violations inside polling stations
EOHR monitors in Sayyeda Zeinab's Ebaheyia School polling station witnessed National Democratic Party (NDP) candidate Ahmed Salama hit the chief official in the polling station after the latter allowed voters to cast their vote for the independent candidate.
2. Prevention of NGO monitors from entering polling stations
EOHR monitors were prevented from entering the Future Generation polling station in el Zawya el Hamra on the pretext that they had not obtained the permission of the sheriff of the police station. This also took place in the el Seneyya School polling station in Sayyeda Zeinab.
b. Giza
Violations inside polling stations
EOHR monitors in the Abu el Namrass district witnessed a security official preventing the head of the polling station from entering it until a police officer had left. In the Abu Bakr el Sadiq School polling station in Imbaba polling stations were not opened until 11.30 a.m., while in the same polling station the Wafd party's candidate Metwaly Helmy Eissa was prevented from entering the polling station.
3. People prevented from voting
EOHR monitors witnessed the closure of all polling stations by security bodies in the Awseem School and the prevention of electoral candidates from entering them. The Salah Eddin primary school polling station in Imbaba was closed, as was the Abu Bakr el Sadiq school. Polling stations were also closed in: el Sheikh Othman, Om Khanan, Shabrament, Shereket el Sukkar, Abu Ragwan, el Tarafeyya, el Azazeyya, el Shobak el Ghorby, Dahshour, Mazghouna, Saqqara el Manial, Abu Nemrass and Tersa el Wahaat in the el Howamedeyya constituency.
3. Prevention of NGO monitors from entering polling stations
EOHR monitors were prevented from entering the Abu Bikr el Sadiq school polling station on the pretext that they had not obtained the permission of the sheriff of the police station. This also took place in the Ahmed Orabi school polling station in Imbaba where EOHR monitors also witnessed a camera crew from the Mehwar channel being prevented from filming by members of state security bodies.
c. Alexandria
1. Prevention of NGO monitors from entering polling stations
EOHR monitors were prevented from entering the Ali Khater secondary school polling station in Moharram Bek. EOHR monitors were attacked in the el Salam secondary vocational school, also in Moharram Bek, and their authorisation papers ripped up and they were then detained for an hour.
2. Failure to use phosphoric ink
EOHR monitors in the el Sadat secondary school in Moharram Bek noted an absence of phosphorous ink in the polling station.
d. Gharbeyya
1. Group voting
EOHR monitors in the Mostafa Sadeq el Refai school polling station (Tanta constituency) saw a car bearing registration taxi Daqheleyya 12216 transporting voters to cast their vote. An individual in front of the polling station attacked EOHR monitorer and ripped up his papers.
2. People prevented from voting
EOHR monitors saw the closure of polling stations 156 - 159 in the special needs school, Tanta, and in the el Sadeem school polling station in Kafr el Zeyat they saw the mayor preventing voters from entering polling stations.
3. Prevention of candidates' representatives from entering polling stations
EOHR monitors in the Keleeb Abyar school polling station, Kafr el Zeyat, saw the representatives of opposition candidates carrying notarised authorisation documents being denied entry. Only those carrying authorisation papers from the police station were allowed to enter. Only one official was stationed in this school. An EOHR representative was prevented from entering the village of Doqram.
4. Failure to use phosphoric ink
EOHR monitors in the Tanta experimental school witnessed a failure to use phosphoric ink.
e. Daqheleyya
1. Prevention of candidates' representatives from entering polling stations
EOHR monitors in polling station 36 in the Atef el Sharqawy school in Talkha witnessed the expulsion of an electoral candidate after the arrival of the NDP candidate at the polling station. Candidates' representatives carrying general authorisations were prevented from entering the following polling stations: Talkha girls' elementary and secondary schools, the Manial primary school and Damira primary and secondary schools. An EOHR representative was also prevented from entering these polling stations.
2. Group voting
EOHR monitors in the Meet Ghamr primary and elementary schools saw minibuses bearing registration numbers taxi Daqhileyya 180 and 1634 carrying voters to polling stations.
3. Invalidation of voting cards
EOHR monitors in polling station no. 54 in the Talkha girls' secondary school witnessed incidences of group voting.
f. Qalyoubiyya
1. Transgressions by security bodies
EOHR monitors in the Gohoud primary and secondary school arrested five representatives inside polling stations.
2. Low voter turnout
EOHR monitors in the second division Shobra el Kheima polling station noted a low voter turnout: nobody voted until 2.00 p.m.
3. Prevention of candidates' representatives from entering polling stations
EOHR monitors in the Khanka constituency, Shams experimental school, Borg school, Khanka primary co-ed school and the Gehad school saw eight representatives of opposition candidates prevented from entering the polling stations and detained. Only NDP candidates were present inside the polling stations.
g. Fayyoum
1. Invalidation of voting cards
EOHR monitors witnessed the invalidation of groups of voting cards in polling stations numbers 295, 296, 298, 299 and 300 in the Menya el Hayyat girls' elementary school. Polling stations were closed in the following polling stations: Tahrir school, the girls vocational school and the Mohamed Salem el Tawfeqeyya elementary school (Fayyoum district capital) in order that voting cards could be invalidated by members of the NDP. In polling stations in Masara, el Zafarany, Manshat Rahmy and Dafno (in the district of Atsa) cars containing members of security bodies were seen wearing civilian clothing and carrying personal weapons. They proceeded to auto-mark the polling cards in the polling stations listed above.
h. Damietta
1. Group voting
EOHR monitors witnessed incidents of group voting in polling stations numbers 1953, 1340 and 4458 in the districts of Kafr Saad and Kafr el Batikh. There was also an increased security presence here.
2. Use of violence and intimidation
EOHR monitors in the secondary vocational school in el Seyaala noted the presence of thugs outside polling station who prevented women from entering the polling stations.
3. Violations inside polling stations
EOHR monitors in the el Shahid Mohamed el Aseel primary school noted there were no electoral registers except with NDP candidates.
i. Ismaileyya
1. Invalidation of voting cards
EOHR monitors in the Mosassa primary school in Mohtama noted a weak voter turnout while the balloting boxes were full !!
2. People prevented from voting
EOHR monitors in the Mosassa primary school in Mohtama noted the village mayor preventing all voters from entering polling stations except those wishing to vote NDP.
j. Sharqeyya
1. People prevented from voting
EOHR monitors in the Abasseyya el Kobra polling station in Abu Hamad saw members of the local council preventing voters from entering polling stations. This scenario repeated itself in Kafr Abu Nagah when the NDP secretary prevented voters from entering the polling station.
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