the current president boasts about his capacity to dismantle the state.
Berlin 1 October, 2023
Law and Democracy Support Foundation reported today the ongoing prevention of supporters of potential presidential candidates from issuing endorsements in a systematic manner by security personnel and members of the Future of Egypt Party, in addition to notary office employees and supporters of Sisi who collaborated with thugs, according to the testimonies of victims affected by these violations.
Various methods of preventing the issuance of endorsements have been documented as follows: Sisi’s supporters gather with thugs in front of the notary office to threaten supporters of other candidates, attempt to confront them, and force them to leave without issuing endorsements. Sometimes, this escalates to physical assault, abduction, and verbal abuse without intervention from the police. Additionally, there have been cases of forcibly preventing the recording of any violations, seizing mobile phones, and deleting documented videos by security personnel or Sisi supporters.
The detention of civilians by plainclothes security personnel and their unjustified searches and the forced opening of their mobile phones, contrary to the constitution and laws, have also been documented.
Regarding notary employees, the deliberate destruction of national ID cards of some citizens has been observed, falsely claiming the invalidity of their cards. Additionally, some notary offices have been closed to supporters of any candidate other than Sisi, causing delays and hindrances in issuing endorsements and prioritizing Sisi’s supporters.
Researchers monitoring and documenting these violations relied on direct interviews with the victims and the form published on the foundation’s social media page.
The Foundation’s monitoring of violations on October 1st is as follows:
1-Prevention of issuing powers of attorney in Cairo and other provinces:
The Law and Democracy Support Foundation documented the refusal of sixteen notary offices in ten different provinces to issue endorsements for the potential presidential candidate Ahmed Tantawi. In contrast, the process of issuing endorsements for the current president was facilitated.
In Cairo, the issuance of endorsements was prevented in areas such as 15 May, Ain Shams, Nasr City 1st and 2nd, Maadi, Rehab, Zeitoun, and other locations.
In the Qalyubia Governorate, issuing endorsements was prevented in Al-Qanater City. In the Giza Governorate, issuing endorsements was prevented in Monshiet Al-Bakari, Kerdasa, Abu Rawash, and 6th of October City, in addition to the Idaiyah notary office in Beheira Governorate. The foundation also reported prevention in Faiyum Governorate (Sheikh Hassan and Nad Al-Mahfouz), Damietta Governorate (New Damietta), and Aswan Governorate (Aswan Main).
Preventing the issuance of endorsements was also reported in the Dusseq notary office in Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, the University notary office in Assiut Governorate, and the Al-Raml First notary office in Alexandria Governorate. The Menouf notary office in Menoufia Governorate also experienced prevention.
2-Attacks on supporters of potential presidential candidate Ahmed Tantawi:
The Foundation observed ongoing cases of violence and assaults by supporters of the current president on supporters of potential presidential candidate Ahmed Tantawi in Cairo and several other Egyptian provinces. The latter’s supporters were threatened, intimidated, and subjected to attacks, in addition to assaults on some citizens, forcing them to hand over their national ID cards.
In Kafr El-Sheikh, issuing endorsements for candidate Ahmed Tantawi was prevented, and there was an assault on a citizen supporting him by plainclothes security personnel.
In Rehab, supporters of candidate Ahmed Tantawi, both men and women, were subjected to intimidation and attacks by supporters of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
In Menoufia Governorate, cases of preventing the issuance of endorsements in Shibin Al-Kom by destroying national ID cards and falsely claiming their invalidity for issuing endorsements were recorded.
In Cairo, in the Ain Shams notary office, the surroundings witnessed threats, intimidation, and physical attacks on supporters of candidate Ahmed Tantawi by supporters of President Sisi.
On another note, a citizen was detained by plainclothes security personnel in the Nasr City notary office, where he was searched, and his phone was searched without justification.
In the 6th of October City, security personnel forced citizens to hand over their national ID cards to issue endorsements for Sisi. There was also an assault by thugs on a citizen, involving physical violence and abduction, in the 6th of October notary office.
In Zeitoun, a citizen was threatened and intimidated to prevent him from issuing endorsements by supporters of Sisi.
The foundation documented cases of national ID card destruction by notary office employees in Menoufia Governorate and the Al-Sharqeya Governorate’s Owlad Saqr notary office, falsely claiming their invalidity for issuing endorsements.
In the Alexandria Governorate, the Ramel area saw members of the Future of Egypt Party attempting to seize a citizen’s phone to prevent him from recording the prevention of Tantawi’s supporters from issuing endorsements.
3-The National Election Authority justifies violations due to technical malfunctions:
The National Election Authority issued a statement today in which it stated that it had directly supervised the repair of technical malfunctions that occurred suddenly in a few documentation offices, ensuring that these technical issues would not happen again. They also instructed these offices to extend their working hours to accommodate the requests of all citizens and to issue support forms for those who intend to run in the elections.
4-The President threatens to dismantle the state:
In connection with the upcoming presidential elections and on the sidelines of a conference held in the New Administrative Capital, the current president and potential presidential candidate in the upcoming elections asserted, during a dialogue with the Supreme Judicial Council, that he possesses the capability to destabilize the Egyptian state by offering financial incentives and drugs to certain citizens and releasing them on the streets in exchange for 2 billion Egyptian pounds.
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