Supervision for Participation

Primary Report

Shura Council Half Renewal Elections.

Without Participation

Without Supervision

Without Elections

11/06/2007

On one of black days in the political and democratic reform history in Egypt ,and as a direct reaction of the Egyptian civilian towards the latest constitutional amendments, the most danger of which was deleting the full judicial supervision on elections and limiting it in the public committees  ,all election process' elements fall in desperation hole.

Shura Council half renewal elections on 11 June 2007 witnessed voters' abstention to vote but on the contrary, it witnessed a great and heavy attendance of Central Security Forces and criminal investigators.

The strange thing that is stranger than the previous one is the absence of supervisors affiliated to civil community organization in the electoral district watched.

In Al Fayoom governorate, some committees closed their doors at 2 O'clock before voters who even did not come to participate. In addition, dozens of people were detained five of which were researchers of Maat center, three of them are released while the other two, Mohamed Mansour Mohamed Soliman –Yasser Rabea Abd Al Kader are sent to Al Athb jail in Al Fayoom .

Researchers watched in Al Fayoom governorate the attendance of little numbers of supervisors affiliated to civil community organizations. Those supervisors affiliated to the Egyptian Coalition to Support Democracy in Al Fayoom center electoral district, and they were prevented from entering the committees.

In Al Giza governorate –Abo Al Nomros countryside, six cars of the security body blockade the committee door that did not witness any voters or supervisors. The researchers enabled to take picture of such strange scene by mobile's camera.

During the meeting with some supervisors affiliated to the Egyptian Coalition to Support Democracy in Giza center they said that their prevention to enter the committee indicate the forgery intention, and that although they have supervision permissions but they could not do it.

Embaba electoral district witnessed in four electoral centers a great abstention to vote and a total absent of supervisors affiliated to organizations. However, the strange phenomenon in Embaba electoral district is that the employees who are supervisors on the election process left the committees, sit with some candidates, and have tea and coffee on coffee shops near the committees, this was especially in Al Qaher primary school committee.

Abdeen, Al Mosky, Bab Al Sharea, and Al Salam electoral districts witnessed a weak attendance of supervisors who refused to deliver any information to the researchers; some of them was affiliated to the Egyptian Coalition to Support Democracy. Those supervisors left the committees they were prevented to enter although they have permissions issued from the Supreme Committee of Elections.

In Dakahlia governorate researchers, affiliated to Human Development Organization in Al Mansoura, watched a stranger phenomenon which is that one supervisor cover five electoral committees. For example, supervisors Mohamed Abd Al Ghafar Abd Al Shaffi, Khaled Mohamed Abo Deef, and Zainab Mohamed Ata, who are affiliated to the Egyptian Organization to Support Democratic Development, every one of those supervisors covered five committees according to their releases to the researchers. The ridiculous in the matter is that the researcher affiliated to the project    met the three together in one committee, which is joint secondary school committee.

In Al Gammalia electoral district in Al Mansoura, our researchers met Osama Al Saied Al Eshary, Ibrahem Mohamed Ibrahem Badawy who are affiliated to the Egyptian Center for Development and Democratic Studies that is participating with the Egyptian Organization to Support Democracy in supervising the elections, and both of them covered five electoral committees. However, this time they did not have supervision forms to take notes.

The third phenomenon watched in Dakahlia is that the supervisors affiliated to the Egyptian Organization to Support Democratic Development and the Egyptian Center for Development and Democratic Studies whom the researchers met are members in Al Wafd party and that they make the group headquarters in Dakahlia a center for their meeting.

In Dammita governorate, this also witnessed the same phenomenon about participation and supervision absence, researchers affiliated to the project observed relative absence of organizations' supervision.  in addition to that some supervisors affiliated to the Egyptian Coalition to Support Democracy are members of Al Wafd Party and work in the same time on the behalf of the Egyptian Organization to Support Democratic Development. In addition, some supervisors are affiliated to Muslim Brotherhood Group and they supervise with the Independence Committee to Enhance Democracy.

About the Primary Statistics of Supervisors'

Answers of the Form:

  The majority of supervisors who were met agreed that they were trained, the training hours were between three and six hours, and that the training was enough according to their answers on the questions in assessment form.

The supervisors differed in answering the question about the existence of contradictions between the training they had and the practical exercising, some see that there are not contradictions while the majority confessed the existence of contradictions, and the important of which was that they are not allowed to enter the committees and supervise. The strangest thing is that there were big contradictions in answers about forms numbers the supervisor used in the electoral day, some of them said fifteen and others said thirty. Answers were between six and thirty forms, and the number of committees the supervisor supervises was between five and seventeen electoral committees.

About the hours, which the supervisor spent in supervision, the most answers were from 8am to 7pm (although the committees were closed early according to the reports of those organizations). While about the candidates who were more fortunate in the viewpoint of supervisors most answers were in the interest of the National Party candidates and the cause is the bribe and violence.

About the third group of the questions, concerning other organizations and their existence in the committees, the most answers were that they did not meet any one of the other organizations. A little number of the supervisors said that they met supervisors from other organizations but they did not mention positives and negatives of other organizations' practicing in supervision.

About public turnout, all supervisors who were met agreed that there is no public turnout to participate and vote.

About the organizations to which the supervisors who were met are affiliated to, they were (the Egyptian Organization to Support Democratic Development, the Egyptian Center for Development and Democratic Studies, the Egyptian Organization to Elevate Social Participation, the Human Communication Organization, and the Independent Committee to Support Democracy with leadership of Ebn Kaldon, and the Egyptian Coalition to  Support Democracy).

About the Primary Statistics of the Voters' Answers of Forms:

The most answers of the first question were that they did not see supervisors of civil community organizations.

The answer of the second question was that the one who see a supervisor recognize him outside the committee and by the releases, that supervisor carries.

Most answers of the second question, concerning the political or party affiliation of the supervisors that voters cannot recognize this matter.

Most answer of the fourth question, concerning the voters' belief that the supervisors work on the behalf of candidates, was (no). Relatively there was a semi unanimous agreement that the supervision does not prevent forgery and does not increase participation percentage because most of the supervisors were prevented from supervision.   

The three organizations (Maat for Judicial and Constitutional Studies, One World for Development and Civil Society Care, Human Development Organization in Al Mansoura) will issue a full report about the supervision process and final statistics with percentage for supervisors and voters whom were met after collecting all forms and unloading them.