Judges Request Army Protection for the Polls

Judges Request Army Protection for the Polls

By Hamdy el-Husseiny and Ahmed Fathy
Because of thuggery attacks on vote overseeing judges during the first and the second stages of the Egyptian parliamentary poll, the Egyptian Judges’ Club demanded the Supreme Election Commission to use the armed forces to safeguard the polling centers and their judiciary presidents.
’Since the occurrences of violent attacks on election monitoring judges unquestionably reflected police’s inability and negligence, and in accordance with the article 26 of law 73 of 1956, we appeal to the Supreme Election Commission to summon armed force to guard the voting process,’ said the Club’s statement, released on its Tuesday’s meeting, of which Islam online got a copy.
This request legally conforms to article 26 which states that "the preservation of order in polling station is the duty of its president, who may call, if necessary, either the police or the military force, which shall not allowed entering the polling center without the request of its president."
’Officers should be nominated to personally guard polling stations’ heads. In addition, some judges should be entitled to supervise the outside of the polling centers to void thuggery and to secure voters’ leeway,’ the account added.
The participants of the Club’s meeting decided to head for the Justice Minister, Mahmmud Abu el-Lal, to articulate their protest against instances of violence that they have been subject to during performing their duty.
The attendants asked the Club’s chairman to inform the General Prosecutor with these condemned actions.
The club, furthermore, called its board of directors for being in session to receive judges’ reports and to take the appropriate measures.
’This request is designed to provide protection to the remaining rounds of polls and to the supervisory judges,’ said the spokesman of the club, Justice Ahmed Saber, to Islam online.