Absentee voters face fine in Egypt election

Cairo: Registered voters in Egypt, who failed to go to polls for no good reason, will be fined under a long-shelved law, the country’s electoral commission said on Wednesday.

The warning was made on the last day of a presidential election, which President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi is certain to sweep.

The National Election Commission said any eligible voter who did not vote in the presidential polls “without an excuse” will be fined 500 Egyptian pounds (Dh104.8) in accordance with the law.

The panel added in a statement that such a fine is already enforced in several other countries. The fine is based on a 2014 law that was not enforced in Egypt’s previous elections.

“Voting is a national duty as it contributes to making Egypt’s future and determining its destiny,” the commission.

It did not spell out the mechanism of applying the fine, seen as heavy for average Egyptians.

The measure was seen as being aimed at bolstering balloting in Egypt’s presidential polls, which started on Monday.

The voter turnout is regarded as a gauge of popularity of Al Sissi, who has been ruling Egypt since 2014. His sole challenger is obscure politician Mousa Mustafa. The opposition has called for boycotting the election, describing it as a sham.

Voting age in Egypt is 18 and above. Some 59.7 million Egyptians are eligible to vote.

The official result is due to be announced on April 2.