(AFP PHOTO / MOHAMED EL-SHAHED)
The Presidential Elections Commission (PEC) rejected as ‘without proof’, Monday, complaints about election violations lodged by presidential candidate, Hamdeen Sabahy.
Sabahy said in a press conference last Thursday that his campaign faced “wide-scale” violations during the 48 hours of voting on Monday and Tuesday. He also filed appeals against the count in a number of polling stations.
Sabahy said that several members of his campaign were arrested while observing the elections, with campaign members referred to the military prosecution. He added that other members were denied entrance to the polling stations while others were expelled. Sabahy also cited difficulty in reporting the violations his campaign members faced.
The Commission said that it had inspected the polling stations appealed against, and found that all claims made by Sabahy’s campaign were groundless.
Sabahy had announced the withdrawal of his campaign members from polling stations on Tuesday night, expressing concerns over safety whilst also questioning the democratic context of the elections.
The European Union Election Observation Mission and United States based organisation Democracy International (DI) condemned the environment surrounding the election.
