Egyptians casting their vote this week in a nationwide election of a second chamber of parliament will be required to wear masks and observe social distancing at the polls, precautions against the spread of the Covid-19 disease that may be making a comeback soon after it appeared to be finally waning.
The election of the 300-seat and largely consultative upper chamber began on Sunday and continued on Monday for Egyptian expatriates, allowed to vote online or by mail in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Balloting moves to Egypt on Tuesday and again will be staggered over two days. Results will be announced on August 19 and second round balloting is due on September 8-9.
Authorities have since Monday began disinfecting thousands of polling stations across the country of 100 million people to limit the spread of Covid-19. Disinfection gates will also be installed outside polling centres and social distancing will be observed.
The creation of an upper chamber was part of constitutional amendments approved in a nationwide referendum last year. Of its 300 members, 100 will be presidential appointees, while the remainder will be elected by direct balloting through the system of closed party lists or individual candidates. Government supporters are almost certain to be the new chamber’s overwhelming majority.
There have been no campaign rallies for the election because of the pandemic, with hopeful candidates using street billboards and online advertisements to promote their candidacy.
Turnout is likely to be modest given the consultative mandate of the upper chamber, continuing concerns about the pandemic and the generally poor shape of the economy.
The new chamber’s main task would be to vet draft legislation on issues to do with national sovereignty, the constitution or on foreign treaties. These would be referred to the chamber by either the president or the House of Deputies. This task was part of the mandate of the State Council, a senior judicial body that had vetted legislation before their adoption by the legislature. That role was stripped from the council under the 2019 constitutional amendments.
The new chamber, which replaces one annulled some seven years ago, will serve a five-year term.
Significantly, this week’s election coincides with growing signs that the coronavirus pandemic may be making a comeback after weeks of decline that gave Egyptians and their government hope that it might be over after nearly 100,000 confirmed cases and more than 5,000 deaths, according to official figures.
After registering a dramatic decline since late July and into the first week of August, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has been on the rise in recent days although the numbers remain low compared to June, by far the worst month since the pandemic began in mid-February, and early July.
The rise in confirmed cases started its ascent on Wednesday - 123 cases - and continued until Monday, the last day for which official figures are available, when 178 cases have been recorded.
As a precaution against a possible “second wave” of Covid-19 infections, at least one quarantine hospital has been reopened to deal with new cases. The government is meanwhile renewing warnings that it would reintroduce the measures it had in place before reopening the country on June 27 if the numbers continue to rise.
At the heart of the epidemic in Egypt is the casual approach taken by most Egyptians toward the threat of the disease, like not abiding by social distancing or wearing masks in crowded public spaces. The government has repeatedly told Egyptians that, in the absence of a vaccine, they will have to learn to live with Covid-19 while taking preventive precautions.
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Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Sector: IT
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