Egyptian Doctors Call for Full Lockdown

A woman wearing a protective health mask has her body temperature measured (File photo: AFP)
A woman wearing a protective health mask has her body temperature measured (File photo: AFP)
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Egyptian Doctors Call for Full Lockdown

A woman wearing a protective health mask has her body temperature measured (File photo: AFP)
A woman wearing a protective health mask has her body temperature measured (File photo: AFP)

A number of Egyptian doctors urged the authorities to impose a two-week lockdown across the country to curb the spread of the COVID-19 disease amid a surge in cases.

Head of the Egyptian Medical Syndicate (EMS) Dr. Hussein Khairy and the chief of Cairo’s Medical Syndicate, Sherine Ghaleb, sent a letter to the government to propose a full lockdown.

In the letter, the doctors stressed the need for a comprehensive curfew during the rest of Ramadan.

They admitted that the measure may be harsh, but it would hopefully lead to slowing spread of the virus.

Khairy said: “We have found that people have not taken the fatal disease seriously.”

The doctors explained that a full lockdown would deal a swift, significant blow to the virus, adding that if no action is taken to curb the pandemic, there will be a massive surge in cases.

The government did not comment on the letter, and the doctors said they have not yet received an official response.

Egypt has seen a surge in COVID-19 infections over the past two days. On Saturday, the Health Ministry announced 488 new infections and 11 new deaths.

In related news, the Medical Syndicate announced the death of the assistant director for preventive medicine, Dr. Ahmed Ezzat Deraz, after contracting the coronavirus, making him the country's ninth physician to die from the novel disease.

The Syndicate mourned Deraz saying he died while performing his duties despite his old age and having chronic diseases.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) reported that the national mortality rate dropped despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The Center announced that in April, 42,144 deaths were recorded, compared to 43,303 in April 2019 and 43,399 in April 2018.

The pandemic did not affect the national death rate which dropped 2.8 percent in April, according to the IDSC.

The IDSC stressed that the coronavirus death rate in Egypt is still “within safe limits compared to countries around the world”.



Fear of Losing Seats Drives Resistance to Reforming Expat Voting Law in Lebanon

A session of the Lebanese Parliament last Monday, in the presence of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (Asharq Al-Awsat) 
A session of the Lebanese Parliament last Monday, in the presence of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (Asharq Al-Awsat) 
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Fear of Losing Seats Drives Resistance to Reforming Expat Voting Law in Lebanon

A session of the Lebanese Parliament last Monday, in the presence of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (Asharq Al-Awsat) 
A session of the Lebanese Parliament last Monday, in the presence of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (Asharq Al-Awsat) 

The Lebanese Parliament’s recent tensions over electoral reforms have laid bare the political calculations of the main blocs.

Statements by Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad that “there is no level playing field in expat elections” capture why the Shiite Duo (Hezbollah and the Amal Movement), along with the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), refuse to amend the current voting law. That law limits expatriate voters to strictly electing six MPs, rather than allowing them to vote in their home constituencies like residents.

This stance is rooted in the 2022 elections, when overseas ballots overwhelmingly favored opposition candidates, especially independents and reformists. For Hezbollah, Amal, and the FPM, any shift risks further eroding their parliamentary share.

Lebanon’s political forces are sharply divided: on one side are Hezbollah, Amal, and the FPM, who oppose amending Article 122, which reserves six seats for expatriates; on the other side stand the Lebanese Forces, Kataeb, the Democratic Gathering, independents, and reformist MPs, all of whom back proposals to let expatriates vote in their districts in 2026.

Tensions flared during Monday’s parliamentary session when Speaker Nabih Berri rejected efforts to place the amendment on the agenda. Researcher Mohammad Shamseddine told Asharq Al-Awsat the refusal stems from a fear that expanded expatriate voting would yield even more unfavorable results for these factions.

Shamseddine noted that about one million Lebanese abroad are eligible to vote, almost a third of the electorate. In 2022, around 141,000 expatriates cast ballots, influencing outcomes in eight districts and twelve seats, mostly favoring reformists. The number of overseas voters could rise to 250,000 in 2026, amplifying their impact.

According to Shamseddine, Hezbollah and its allies secured only around 29,000 expat votes in 2022, compared to 27,000 for the Lebanese Forces alone. This gap is expected to widen further.

For analyst Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, Hezbollah’s resistance also reflects its desire to prevent military setbacks from morphing into political defeat. He argues the party is keen to cling to what influence it has left, especially since it struggles to mobilize diaspora voters as effectively as it does domestically.

Meanwhile, expatriate groups and Maronite bishops abroad have pressed Lebanon’s government to protect their right to vote in their home constituencies. Maronite Bishop Charbel Tarabay warned against any attempt to “deprive expatriates of their connection to the homeland.”

Opposition parties, including the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb, have vowed to fight what they see as an effort to sideline the diaspora. As Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea declared: “We will use every democratic and legal means to restore expatriates’ right to vote in their districts, to keep them tied to Lebanon.”