A joint mission consisting of the following NGOs will monitor the Presidential Elections. These organizations include ‘Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD)’, ‘MAAT Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights’ and the ‘International Institute for Peace, Justice and Human Rights (IIPJHR)’. The joint mission was established based on the memorandum of understanding signed by the stated parties and according to the guidelines issued by the Egyptian Presidential Elections Committee.

The 124 international observers are from the following nationalities: Norway, Russia, Latvia, Spain, Armenia, Jordan, Belgium, France, Zambia, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Austria, United States of America, Portugal, Sudan, Finland, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Zimbabwe and Germany. The mission consists of 100 observers and specialists from GNRD, 24 specialists from IIPHR in addition to 2490 local observers from MAAT.

The joint mission will prepare for the elections starting from May 10th 2014. The joint mission will comprise of two central operation rooms in Cairo and 22 branched operation rooms in most provinces. The joint mission includes 50 groups of International observers and 800 groups of local observers in order to cover the elections for 23 provinces.

The joint mission will implement the observation assignment by monitoring the electoral process in all polling stations as well as assess the political and security environment and societal context they are conducted in. The joint mission will also evaluate the views of the voters on the electoral process.

 

In the following days, the joint mission will hold meetings with the presidential candidates, the officials of their electoral campaigns, government officials, Presidential Election Committee, Egyptian civil society organisations and local observation groups. The meetings will be regarding the verification of the safety of the electoral procedures and provide the standards of freedom and transparency.

It is noteworthy to mention that the joint mission will cooperate with the ‘Presidential Election Monitor’ and benefit from the information it provides.

The joint mission’s deployment is in accordance with decision no. 5, 2014 from the Presidential Election Commission regarding the guidelines for the civil organisations overlooking the Egyptian electoral process. These are detailed in the second article of the decision which sets out the guidelines for the monitoring process, observation, overseeing the candidates registration process, election campaigns, polling, vote counting and the results of the election.

The process of democratic transition in Egypt is the sole reason behind the formation of a joint monitoring mission. The monitoring of the presidential elections will form a clear picture of the democratic process that millions of Egyptians have protested to entrench.

The joint mission commits itself to the code of conduct regarding the international monitoring and observation mission as well as the Egyptian laws that regulate the electoral process and appreciation of the values, customs and traditions of the Egyptian people. The joint mission has trained the international observers to abide by the factors stated above.

The work of the joint mission comes within the concept of interest in following up the process of democratic transformation in Egypt, as the process of following up on the Egyptian presidential elections will allow the formation of a clear picture of the democratic path for which millions have emerged in the Egyptian streets.

The joint mission, as part of its work mechanisms, binds itself and its observers to the code of standards and behavior for international observers and works within its respect for the Egyptian law governing the electoral process and its high appreciation for the values, customs and traditions of the Egyptian people, which is what the mission was keen to provide for all its observers.