CAIRO: Talaat Abdel Awi, Egypt's Vice-President of the General Federation of Associations and NGOs, said that the Higher Committee for the Presidential Elections agreed to grant permission and licenses to some 320 members of the General Federation and Regional Associations and local NGOS as representatives of civil society to monitor the electoral process, in addition to the permits given to human rights organizations. The Vice-President of the General Federation of Associations said, “that the number of the representatives will be divided by ten members in each governorate, and 50 in Cairo, and will be distributed according to the neighborhoods and population density,” pointing out that the General Federation of Associations “has trained all the observers to monitor carefully for each course of the electoral process as well as monitoring all the pros and cons with full transparency and neutral processes in writing reports without prejudice to a certain candidate.” He said those chosen are “away from the political and party affiliations to ensure transparency.” He pointed out that the Federation will issue daily statements and prepare reports at the end of the electoral process and submit it to the National Council for Human Rights and the Higher Committee for the Presidential Elections and the Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs. The General Federation of Associations and NGOs had sent a letter to the Higher Committee for the Presidential Elections, to allow NGOs to follow-up and monitor the next election in various governorates.
