Eye witness on the events of Queft

24/11/2005

It was my destiny to watch in Queft near to Louxor, it was my first visit to the upper Egypt, since then I witnessed a different elections circumstances, there was clearness, The people there were divided to  belong to one of the competitors.

There were silence despite of the crowdedness in the competitors places, each ones Place was full of his supporters and their advertisements were covering all the spaces, At the morning of the elections day, all the voting rooms witnessed a complete Crowdedness of people (voters) that arrived actually to the voting rooms before the Legal appointment as the elections (voting) ran regularly despite of the delay of Bringing the ink to some of the elections (voting) rooms till 9.30 at morning.

The most of the elections (voting) rooms judges allowed to the civil society Organizations watchers to be present except some of them like the judge no.,16 in Queft secondary school, its judge refused to let me enter, he declared that we have no Legality or legitimacy,(the civil society organizations he meant),and that he is Denying the related judgments nor the high committee for elections permission to Watch the elections process (voting), he called the policemen to get me out by force, As Some of the elections (voting) rooms judges didn’t let the deputies watching the Whole voting rooms during the day of elections as this area witnessed a little bit Fighting between the policemen and the inhabitants in Queft city as it wasn’t Developed and it was controlled, at the meanwhile Al-Ashraf village witnessed a Strong violence, as a result, the police forces used the tearing bombs and captured Mahmoud Yousef the Islamist assistants, as a result the elections (voting) stopped in These election rooms for two hours till it has been controlled by the police forces but There was no enough time to vote for the whole people specially that it wasn’t Allowed to the whole voters to enter the voting rooms that the released bombs for Controlling the situation has affected all people including  the judges and their Assistants till they have finished the counting process they were tired and  so nervous As a result to this.

As we have to mention that, this area witnessed before the start of the Elections (voting) process

 by 48 hours discovering the presence of huge numbers of The voting forms spreading allover the area, the officials were informed with this Matter and it was published in the official newspapers too.

It is noticed that, this area witnessed the competition between a large number of Competitors reached the number of 33 competitors belonging mostly to the Political Parties, one of them was a woman for the first time.

As the national democrat party man was Anas Donkol for the class seat, and Mustafa Al-Nahaas for the workers seat, from the social unity opposite political party Ahmed Osman Gad for the workers seat, from the Islamists was Mahmoud Yousef for the Class seat and a lot of the independents, the most important of them Dr.Shazely Mohamed Ali for the class seat, he is a member in the local authority council in Quena governorate, the journalist Abedo Maghraby from Al-Omma voice newspaper For the class seat, for the

workers seat was the famous one Mahmoud Al-Ghazaly, as The proportion of voting was near to 50% or more.

The boxes was closed on 7 o'clock, as some of the voting rooms judges started the Counting process inside their secondary rooms before reaching the general counting Room that has been accomplished in Queft prep school that is the neighbor to Queft Police station, it has been allowed to some of the civil society organizations Watchers (observers) to attend the counting process that has been proceeded in a place Doesn’t fit this mission. It was so narrow to the attendants of the whole voting rooms Judges and their assistants as their number was 3×163 of voting rooms = 489 of Voting rooms judges and the assistants in addition to the elected persons and their Deputies and a lot of the policemen although the prohibition of the law to attend the Counting process.

The counting process started randomly as a result to the crowdedness, there were no Enough seats for the judges and their assistants. Every judge tried to finish rapidly the Counting process of his box as rapid as possible to leave the room and travel away, all Of this lead to a lot of

mistakes in the most of the results, the most important of them Was that, almost of the results for the box no.,48sh reached to the high committee of Judges

without the basic data concerns the judge's name and his signature and the Number of the box , then the judge of the general control room for counting the Counselor Mohamed El Sayed Abdul-Latif spoke in the microphone commanding the Police commander to not allow to any judge and their assistants to leave their places Without his personally permission to force them to complete these forms and revise The whole papers of every box.

It was discovered while counting that, the most of the judges of the secondary boxes Have received the voting forms much more than the number of the registered voters, As it was noticed that the most of the particular forms of voting was full of Cancellation and deleting, when one of the elected persons discussed with the judge This matter and told him that, the forms of the boxes number 107 & 108 they was full Of deleting and canceling the judge and his assistants called him bad names and Command him to keep silent. It was noticed that the result of each box wasn’t Declared after finishing its counting as the counting process has been finished on 3 O'clock whereas the result wasn’t declared till 5 o'clock in dawn after the judge Made Much more than a phone call then he commanded us to get back to the end of the Place as he was there and his assistants with the forms of voting making their phone Calls, changing the final results then the result was declared on Monday at dawn According 21/11/2005, that was 'another voting' on the two seats between Mahmoud El Ghazaly an independent worker he gained 10105 of votes and Abul-Hassan Al Ghazar an independent worker he gained 6146 of votes and Anas Donkol from  the National democrat party class gained 4362 of votes and Mostafa Al-Nahaas from the National democrat class he gained 4875 of votes as the nearest

person to win on the Class seat was Mahmoud Yousef the Islamist he gained 3745 of votes and Shazly Mohamed Ali he gained d3532 of votes as all of these was declared and all of people went home.

Before leaving Louxor city, on 2 M.D one of the inhabitants called me on phone he Informed me that, the kids at streets allover the city found the election(voting) forms

Laying down beside the school fence and spreading allover streets of the city as the Inhabitants

started with the elected persons touring the streets of Queft town and its Villages searching for these forms and collecting them, they have collected much More than tens of thousands in the streams of Ghanabeyah and Kallabeyah, actually They took a lot of photographs for these voting forms, they said that there were more Than a box under water as a result, the inhabitants were angry specially when the Policemen came and surrounded the place to prevent the inhabitants to reach the Water, soon it was developed to surround the whole town specially when the Inhabitants found the envelops of the voting forms haven’t been touched the seals still Over them.

I couldn’t enter the town because the policemen prevented me to enter but I could Enter the town when one of the inhabitants helped me to enter the town by passing Through the fields there I met some of the elected persons and their supporters and Advised them to follow the law procedures as I went with them to the police station to Give a statement as the policemen there refused to follow the law, then we went to the D.A as he refused to follow the law of procedures as he told us that this matter is Higher than his authority, and he advised us to go the D.A in Quena then we went to The D.A of Quena that he wasn’t in his office as his secretary phoned him to till us to Return back to the D.A of Queft for this purpose and that they have phoned the D.A In Queft as when we did that we returned to Queft actually to the D.A who refused Again to give a statement as he said that there were no instructions from his boss to Do so whereas the town was surrounded by the full armed policemen and their Supports of  the armed cars after the inhabitants expressed peacefully their sadness by Their loud voices telling that it was forged..forged.. forged No to forgery.. No for Forgery ..where are our freedoms and liberties because of this situations some of the Lawyers advised the people to go to the administrative court in Quena to cancel the Results and deleting the elections and its results because it is obviously forged there Are 13 of cases at the court.

In 22/11/2005 the elected person Abedo Maghraby insisted to not leave the court House of Quena raising a sign says that, live long Abedo Maghraby and death for Foregoers he resisted to

eat him and his supporters till the police came to separate Them, arrested more than of 40 of

civilians of his supporters that were in attendance Waiting for the administrative court statement (judgment).

Whereas we were watching these events we were in touch with the general secretary Of the high council of human rights who was watching the same events second by Second, as our center gave two statements on these events.

I have been surprised that one of the individuals coming through the crowd searching For the human rights man, he gave me one of the voting envelops as he said that to Me, O., mister, I know that you are one of freedom, democracy and human rights as This is from humanity as he gave me this envelop! and he left, I looked to the envelop I read that it is belonging to the secondary box no.,125 it wasn’t touched, immediately I phoned the general secretary of the national council for human rights, I told him, as He asked me to keep it as it is, to bring it, and to introduce it to the higher committee Upon this I have returned immediately to Cairo carrying this envelop.

In 23/11/2005 in morning I went to the building of the national council for human Rights I gave the envelop and the forms to the council that immediately phoned the Counselor Intisar Nasim, the secretary of the high committee to make an appointment To receive these papers. Indeed I went with a representative of the technical secretary Of the council to the higher committee to gave them the papers (forms) and the Envelop, asking for justice….justice…..

Friendly I spoke to a member of the higher committee for elections that he told me That the illegality of the elections and to delete the elections his committee isn’t Authorized to do so but it is a matter of the court concern.

As the administrative court gave its statement (judgment) in Thursday according 24/11/2005, that the judgment in this elections is out of its concern and it isn’t Authorized to, this means that the concerned would be finally the parliament, that Confirm the legislative defect for the committee authorities.

How it could be the illegality would turn to be legal and legitimacy.

Mr. Ayman Okail

General Manager