Lashin Ibrahim, head of the National Elections Authority, said that citizens who did not take part in the Senate elections violated the law.
Lashin said that the electoral commission urged voters to perform their national duty and participate in the elections, amid the implementation of strict precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
In media statements, he pointed out that the eligible voters who did not cast vote in the Senate elections held two weeks ago will be fined LE. 500 as per the law.
The first round of the Senate elections was held on 11 and 12 August 2020, with the diaspora voting on 9 and 10 August. The run-offs will take place on 8-9 September (6-7 for the diaspora), and their results will be announced by 16 September.
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National Elections Authority- File photo[/caption]
The turnout in the first round was only 14.23 percent. Only around 7.57 million valid votes were cast, and roughly 1.38 million invalid votes were cast, despite over 62 million voters having been registered to participate.
I doubt that the penalty will be executed. It’s difficult to pressure people to pay up to LE. 500 for not taking part in politics. After every poll, such calls were made but the government does not listen.
However, this time the government may seriously consider the electoral commission’s demands and impose the fine.
In my opinion, the House of Representatives’ elections, scheduled to be held next November, will not witness a low turnout like the Senate’s only if the voters are correctly motivated.
Motivation does not mean threatening with the fine, but Egyptians need to understand the importance of their participation in electoral processes and in political life in general.
My words do not ask the government to punish the eligible voters for not participating in polls, but they urge people to take part in drawing their country’s political life’s future.
Compulsory voting is found in some countries. Penalties might be imposed on those who fail to participate in elections without a valid excuse.
According to the CIA World Factbook, 21 countries, including 10 Latin American countries, officially had compulsory voting as of December 2017, with a significant number of those countries not enforcing it.
Accordingly, Egypt is not the only country to impose a penalty on those who do not participate in elections.
Finally, I call on every Egyptian to do his national duty and enjoy his/ her political right to choose their parliamentary representatives in the upcoming polls.
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