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Egyptian Expats Cast their Votes in Parliamentary Elections

A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during Egypt's senate elections in Cairo, Egypt. Reuters file photo
A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during Egypt's senate elections in Cairo, Egypt. Reuters file photo
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Egyptian Expats Cast their Votes in Parliamentary Elections

A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during Egypt's senate elections in Cairo, Egypt. Reuters file photo
A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during Egypt's senate elections in Cairo, Egypt. Reuters file photo

Egyptian expats began Wednesday voting in the first phase of the parliamentary elections, as the country’s diplomatic missions completed their preparations in 140 polling stations.

There are about nine million Egyptians abroad, with 65 percent in the Arab region, 13.2 percent in Europe, and 16.7 percent in the Americas, according to official figures.

Embassies and consulates opened for the mail-in voting and voters are required to send their papers via express mail, amid health concerns in light of the spread of the coronavirus.

Egyptian authorities are hoping for a massive turnout, as the average participation in the last parliamentary elections, held five years ago, was at 28.3 percent.

Minister of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates' Affairs Nabila Makram urged Egyptians abroad to participate in the elections, stressing that voting would contribute to building the state and supporting the country’s political process.

Makram noted that the current polls are different given the increased number of women and young candidates. She also indicated that eight parliamentary seats will be for expat candidates.

Makram stated that the ministry's operations room is observing the mail-in voting at Egyptian embassies and diplomatic missions.

She praised the role and efforts of the National Elections Authority (NEA) in facilitating the electoral process, reminding voters to place ballot papers, a voter declaration, photocopies of the voter’s national ID card or passport, and residency documents in an envelope and send them to the diplomatic mission in their area.

The first stage of voting will take place in 14 districts, namely in the governorates of Giza, Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya, Assiut, New Valley, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, Aswan, the Red Sea, Alexandria, Beheira, and Matrouh. This stage of elections will take place inside Egypt on October 24-25.

Egypt's ambassador to Kuwait, Tarek al-Qouni, announced that the embassy received a large number of ballot envelopes, confirming a high turnout.

Qouni told the Middle East News Agency (MENA) that the participation in Kuwait will exceed that of all Egyptian communities abroad.

In Germany, Ambassador Khaled Galal called on Egyptians to adhere to their constitutional rights and cast their votes.

He noted that it is too early to assess the turnout, adding that numbers will be determined on the last day of elections.

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Lebanon's Hezbollah Struggles with Missing Fighters Amid Community Pressure

Mourners carry a picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during the funeral procession of their relatives, in Maisara near the northern coastal town of Byblos, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Mourners carry a picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during the funeral procession of their relatives, in Maisara near the northern coastal town of Byblos, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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Lebanon's Hezbollah Struggles with Missing Fighters Amid Community Pressure

Mourners carry a picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during the funeral procession of their relatives, in Maisara near the northern coastal town of Byblos, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Mourners carry a picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during the funeral procession of their relatives, in Maisara near the northern coastal town of Byblos, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

The issue of missing Hezbollah fighters from the Israeli war continues to cause distress for both the group and the families awaiting news or the return of their remains for burial.

Three weeks after the ceasefire began, the fate of more than 1,000 fighters remains unknown. Contact with them was lost, and their bodies have not been found, leaving it unclear whether they were killed in battle or captured by the Israeli military.

The Israeli military has confirmed capturing Hezbollah fighters, though the exact number is unclear. Some reports suggest about 10 fighters are held, and the Israeli forces have released video footage of two of them being interrogated.

Hezbollah confirmed that prisoners are held by Israel, with former media official Mohammed Afif acknowledging their capture. Since the ceasefire, the group’s leaders have kept quiet about the issue, only stating it is being monitored.

They often refer to a pledge made by former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who said, “We will not leave our captives in prison.”

Sources say Hezbollah raised the prisoner issue during talks on the ceasefire agreement, but it was not addressed. They were promised it would be discussed later. Some believe their release could be linked to any broader resolution being worked on for Gaza.

Hezbollah has not yet revealed the number of its fighters killed during 66 days of conflict with Israel. The group stopped reporting casualties in late September, when the count stood at 450 deaths since the war began on October 8, 2023.

While estimates suggest more than 3,000 Hezbollah fighters were killed by the end of the war, sources tell Asharq Al-Awsat that between 1,000 and 1,500 are still missing after contact was lost with them.

Hezbollah has informed the families of these missing fighters of their status, either days before or weeks before the ceasefire took effect. They have said that their fate will be determined through ongoing search operations.

For those whose bodies were found, families were told their loved ones were “martyrs,” a term Hezbollah uses for fallen fighters.

Most bodies have been returned, and burials have taken place. However, many families were told their relatives are “missing in action,” as no trace of them was found due to the destruction caused by bombings, which made it difficult to search.

Fatima, who waited 60 days to hear from her husband, was informed two days ago that he is a “martyr, missing in action.”

Umm Hussein, the mother of another fighter, is still waiting for news of her son, who lost contact with her over a month ago.

Another woman, considered “lucky,” received her brother’s body after losing contact with him four weeks ago. She said: “Knowing he was martyred is better than waiting without knowing his fate.”

Zainab is still hopeful about her brother, who last contacted her 75 days ago. She was told he was in a hard-to-reach area, and search efforts would begin once Israeli forces withdrew.

Zainab remains hopeful, saying: “We haven’t lost hope. If he’s among the martyrs, we’ll still be happy because he has reached his goal.”

In contrast, Salma lost all hope when she learned her father had been killed.

“Although we lost contact with him about three weeks before the ceasefire, Hezbollah contacts reassured us he was fine. When the ceasefire started, we learned he had been martyred. It was a shock for us.”

Local sources in southern Lebanon told Asharq Al-Awsat that the issue of prisoners and missing fighters is becoming a major crisis for Hezbollah, especially for the fighters’ families and the community.

There have been growing protests and complaints against Hezbollah officials, who are being criticized for not doing enough for both the missing and captured fighters.

Hezbollah’s media also seems confused about how to handle the issue, as shown by conflicting reports.

On Tuesday, its news broadcast stated that bodies of martyrs were being recovered from the rubble in the southern town of Al-Adaisseh and would be extended to Taybeh and beyond.

However, two hours later, the report was updated, quoting a correspondent who said that “the Lebanese Army had not entered Al-Adaisseh, and no bodies had been recovered, nor had any similar operation been carried out in Taybeh.”

It also mentioned that “communications with UNIFIL forces on this issue had not been successful so far.”