Egyptian foreign minister denies candidate bias

Egypt's foreign minister Mohamed Kamel Amr has said the international repsonse to Egypt's electoral process has been positive. He also denied that the ministry was supporting any one particular candidate. Amr said on Thursday during a meeting with diplomatic editors that he could not anticipate how foreign policy would change with a new president. he also stated the presidential elections in Egyptian embassies and consulates all over the world were successful. The minister said that 224,448 Egyptian expatriates had voted abroad until Thursday morning, expecting that the number would increase as Thursday was a day-off in some countries, in addition to many other votes that were sent by post. He added that the embassy in Riyadh had the most voters, at around 60,000 followed by Kuwait’s 45,000 and Jeddah at 42,000. He added that the expatriates’ voting took place in 139 embassies and consulates, and that the a barcode system was used to avoid repeat votes. Regarding the possibility of extending the voting period, he said that the Supreme Presidential Election Commission (SPEC) insisted the elections take place within this period of time. He added that the ministry has sent large numbers of diplomats and administrative employees to the Egyptian embassies and consulates, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where a large number of Egyptians live. He also downplayed reports of 25 attempts at vote-fraud, saying some may have happened by mistake when a person voted by post and in person at the poll booth in fear of the postal vote not reaching the election commission. “It is difficult to prove fraud was the intention, however there were about 10 to 25 cases suspected of that...they were soon referred to the SPEC,” he said, Amr said the reason why places like Europe recorded a low voter turnout, was that not eveyrbody had a voter ID card. However it was agreed to let people vote upon showing their passports. Regarding rumours that supporters of Freedom and Justice Party nominee Mohammed Morsy insisted on sleeping beside the ballot boxes in Oman, Amr said that the SPEC instructions "did not allow such acts and we have stuck to these instructions, however we have sealed the boxes with red wax to ward off any suspicions". As for the truth behind reports of an Egyptian diplomat for being a relative of the candidate Ahmed Shafiq, the minister said the diplomat himself had asked to take one month off to dismiss suspicions and it was approved as they, in the foreign ministry, were keen on that.