Egyptian Interior Ministry Cracks Down on Tantawi’s Supporters Over Alleged Forgery of Authorizations
A security source at the Egyptian Ministry of Interior stated today, October 9, that Egyptian security forces have arrested eight individuals in the governorates of Alexandria, Giza, Fayoum, and Suez. They are accused of forging authorizations to support a presidential candidate.
This comes after the potential presidential candidate called on his supporters to create parallel (unofficial) authorizations in order to demonstrate that they were prevented from making authorizations.
The Ministry of Interior did not mention the candidate Ahmed Tantawi by name in its statement but referred to him as “one of the potential presidential candidates.”
The Ministry of Interior added that 596 copies of the “forged authorizations” without data were found in their possession. The owner of the printing press that produced the forged authorizations was also identified and apprehended.
The Interior Ministry stated this morning that a security source had confirmed that, in light of observed chants by some supporters of a potential presidential candidate urging actions contrary to the law and movements compromising security, the Ministry of Interior affirms that it will take all necessary legal measures decisively against those who violate the legal regulations set by the National Electoral Authority or engage in any violations that compromise public security.
The potential presidential candidate, Ahmed Tantawi, had previously announced that he would collect popular authorizations and addressed a message to the Egyptian people, calling on those who wish to authorize him (on a popular level) for the 2024 Egyptian presidential elections. He was not able to join this initiative and asked those who share his opinion and stance to do the same—printing a form with their name, signature, and national ID and sending it to the campaign.
Tantawi had also previously stated that his supporters were prevented from making authorizations inside and outside the country. He was only able to collect 7,741 authorizations, whereas he aimed to collect 30,000 authorizations amidst restrictions on him and his supporters.
