Egypt Emigration Minister calms fears: Expatriates will vote via their passport

Egypt's Minister of Manpower and Emigration Ahmed Hassan Al-Borai stated that Egyptians living abroad will be able to vote using their passports.

The government stated earlier that Egyptians will vote by showing their National ID card with the new national numbering system. This sparked worries within the expat community because many haven't received the new national ID card.

Al-Borai's states, however that all Egyptians born in 1900 or after have already been assigned a national ID number in the database, regardless if they have received the card.

The name on the passport, he explains, will be cross-referenced with the national ID number database.

Al-Borai also clarified that expatriates will vote for parliamentary minister in the district according to their last registered residential address.

Egyptian embassies and consulates abroad will supervise the voting process for Egyptians residing abroad, he added.

After a group of rights lawyers filed a lawsuit, Egypt's Administrative Court issued a verdict in October that grants Egyptian expatriates their right to vote in the Egyptian elections and referenda.

Following the decision, which was accepted by the military council and the interim cabinet, the floor has been opened for expatriate voters to register through their respective embassy websites.

The number of Egyptians living and working abroad is estimated between 6.7 and 10 million.