548 Foreign Correspondents Covering Egypt’s Referendum 2019

The State Information Service (SIS) released a statement on Saturday noting that 548 foreign correspondents received permissions to cover Egypt’s Public Referendum 2019.

In the first day of the public referendum on some constitutional changes, Egyptian voters rallied to cast their ballots. Dozens were lined in long queues from early morning before ballot stations nationwide.

The list of foreign correspondents includes representatives of 127 press and media organizations, including 32 news agencies, 43 television channels, 13 radio stations and 39 newspapers, including 41 Europeans, 23 American, 27 Asians and 36 Arab media organizations.

[caption id="attachment_46619" align="aligncenter" width="800"] A voter dips his finger in ink during the referendum on draft constitutional amendments, at a polling station in Cairo, Egypt April 20, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany[/caption]

SIS statement described the foreign media coverage for the referendum as “extensive.”

“The referendum on the constitutional amendments, which began Saturday April 20, and continues until Monday April 22, has been extensively covered in a wide range of newspapers and foreign media outlets,” the statement read.

[caption id="attachment_46620" align="aligncenter" width="800"] People wave flags outside a polling station during the referendum on draft constitutional amendments, in Cairo, Egypt April 20, 2019. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh[/caption]

The law regulating the work of the National Election Authority (NEA) has the right to set rules in accordance with Article 3 of paragraph 13 of the law, which provides for “the setting of rules for the follow-up of referenda and elections by the media, Egyptian and foreign civil society organizations and others, and agents of the candidates, and to monitor compliance with those rules”.

It should be noted that the permits issued by NEA give the right to journalists and media professionals to enter polling centers, assemblies and stations, while Egyptian laws, including the rules regulating press and media work and for those who enjoy such rules and are subject to them, guarantee the right to cover the referendum from outside these premises.

[caption id="attachment_46621" align="aligncenter" width="800"] A man carries a portrait of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi outside a polling station, during the referendum on draft constitutional amendments, in Cairo, Egypt April 20, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany[/caption]

Egypt's 596-member parliament approved the amendments on Tuesday, voting by 531 to 22 in favor.

Some 61 million of Egypt's nearly 100 million population are eligible to vote. The result is expected in the days after Monday's final day of voting. Polls are due to close on Saturday at 21:00 Cairo Local Time (CLT).