Egypt: President urges thorough review of election complaints to safeguard voters’ will

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Monday, called on the National Elections Authority (NEA) to conduct a meticulous review of all reported incidents from the first phase of Egypt’s Parliamentary elections, particularly in constituencies marked by tight races.

In a statement shared on his official social media accounts, he urged the Authority to strengthen transparency by ensuring that each candidate’s representative receives a copy of the sub-Committee vote-count record. He emphasized that the NEA must “not hesitate” to annul results- partially or entirely- if the true will of the electorate cannot be verified.

His call comes amid a surge of complaints and appeals lodged following the 10–11 November domestic voting period. Campaign teams and observers flagged alleged breaches ranging from unauthorized promotional activities and voter mobilization during the silence period to reports of food parcel distribution in parts of Upper Egypt and Giza.

Concerns were also raised about the integrity of the counting operation, including an incident in Alexandria’s Montaza district where a ballot box was annulled after footage suggested possible tampering. Similar petitions in other constituencies highlighted discrepancies between preliminary subcommittee tallies and consolidated district totals.

The first phase of Egypt’s two-stage parliamentary elections covered 14 governorates, with overseas voting held on 7–8 November and domestic voting on 10–11 November. Results of this phase are scheduled to be announced by 18 November, while the second phase will run from 21–22 November abroad and 24–25 November domestically across 13 governorates, including Cairo.

Run-off voting will extend into December, with final results for both phases due by 25 December. President El-Sisi also pressed the NEA to disclose actions taken on reported campaign violations to reinforce legal compliance and maintain integrity in the rounds ahead.