The first country was New Zealand, as the Egyptian Embassy in Wellington opened its doors at 9 am local time to members of the Egyptian community seeking to cast their votes in the presidential election, which lasted for three days.

Voting outside Egypt is stated on December 1-3; from 9 am to 9 pm according to the local time in every country.

Australia opened second, as Egyptian nationals in Australia have started flocking to the premises of the Egyptian Embassy in Canberra and the Egyptian consulates in Sydney and Melbourne to cast their ballots in Egypt’s presidential elections in 2024.

The Egyptian Embassy in Canberra and the two Egyptian consulates opened their gates at 9 am (Australia local time) in the first day of the three-day balloting process by the timetable announced by the National Elections Authority (NEA).

Japan is expected to open third, as the Egyptian embassy in Tokyo is preparing to receive voters.

Egyptians abroad will participate in the presidential elections in 121 countries around the world according to the local time of each country.

The Egyptian expats will cast their votes in 137 embassies and consulates across 121 countries.

Candidates running for the presidency include incumbent President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, represented by a star symbol; as well as Farid Zahran, the Social Democratic Party candidate, with the electoral symbol of a sun.

This is in addition to Abdel Sanad Yamama, the candidate chosen by Egypt’s oldest liberal party Al-Wafd, who is represented by the symbol of a palm tree; and Hazem Omar, the Republican People’s Party candidate, with a ladder symbol.

On Wednesday, the electoral silence for the elections abroad commenced.

Egypt’s embassies and consulates around the world have finished preparations to receive voters. The National Election authority published a list of the addresses of embassies and consulates where registered voters can cast their ballot.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry made a visit to the Egyptian Embassy in Paris to check on its preparedness for the elections.

The Ministry of Emigration announced the launch of an operation room to follow up on the voting process abroad and answer the inquiries of the expats around the clock in coordination with the NEA.

Expats can contact the operations room of the ministry via phone through these numbers: (0220543411) and (0220543415).

How to vote?

Based on the law, Egyptian voters abroad require a valid Egyptian passport or a valid or invalid national ID card to be able to cast their ballot.

Voters must be registered in voter databases. Every Egyptian who has reached the age of 18 has the right to participate in the presidential elections. To make sure if your name is included in the databases, click on this link: https://www.elections.eg/inquiry.

The voter will then take his ballot card to the place designated for voting in the embassy or consulate, where he can cast his vote with ease.

Citizens who are at least 18 years old, fully enjoy their political and civil rights, and are listed in the voter database are eligible to vote in the elections inside Egypt and abroad.

Meanwhile, citizens who were convicted of tax evasion or had their assets confiscated and citizens under guardianship or suffering from mental or psychological disorders cannot cast their ballot.

People who cannot vote in the elections also include citizens detained on charges of bribing witnesses or committing a crime to evade military service and those detained on charges of theft, fraud, breach of trust, bribery, forgery, or giving false testimony.

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The new year began in the tiny atoll nation of Kiribati in the Central Pacific, then moved across Russia and New Zealand before heading deeper, time zone by time zone, through Asia, Africa and Europe and into the Americas.

Australia kicked off the celebrations with its first restriction-free New Year’s Eve after two years of COVID disruptions. Sydney welcomed the New Year with a typically dazzling fireworks display, which for the first time featured a rainbow waterfall off the Harbour Bridge.

In China, rigorous COVID-19 restrictions were lifted only in December as the government abruptly reversed its “zero-COVID” policy, a switch that has led to soaring infections and meant some people were in no mood to celebrate.

Ukraine war

Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine continued on New Year’s Eve.

At midnight, the streets of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, were desolate. The only sign of a new year came from local residents shouting from their balconies, “Happy New Year!” and “Glory to Ukraine!”

Only half an hour into 2023, air raid sirens rang across the city, followed by sounds of explosions.

In a video message to mark the New Year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Time Magazine’s 2022 Person of the Year, said: “I want to wish all of us one thing – victory.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin devoted his New Year’s address to rallying the Russian people behind his troops. But festivities in Moscow were muted, without the usual fireworks on Red Square.

“One should not pretend that nothing is happening – our people are dying [in Ukraine],” said 68-year-old Yelena Popova. “A holiday is being celebrated, but there must be limits.”

Many Moscow residents said they hoped for peace in 2023.

Muted celebrations

Elsewhere in Europe, fireworks exploded over the Parthenon in Athens, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, where crowds gathered on the Champs-Elysees avenue to watch the French capital’s first New Year fireworks since 2019.

People gather on the Champs Elysees avenue during the New Year’s Eve celebrations 
near the Arc de Triomphe 
in Paris, France [Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters]

But, like many places, the Czech capital, Prague, was feeling the pinch economically and so did not hold a fireworks display.

“Holding celebrations did not seem appropriate,” said city hall spokesman Vit Hofman.

Big Ben chimed as more than 100,000 revellers gathered along the River Thames to watch spectacular fireworks show around the London Eye.

The display featured a drone light display of a crown and Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait on a coin hovering in the sky, paying tribute to Britain’s longest-serving monarch who died in September.

Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach welcomed a small crowd of a few thousand for a short fireworks display. Several Brazilian cities cancelled celebrations this year due to concerns about the coronavirus.

The Brazilian capital’s New Year’s bash usually drew more than two million people to Copacabana before the pandemic.

Turkey’s most populous city, Istanbul, brought in 2023 with street festivities and fireworks. At St Antuan Catholic Church, dozens of Christians prayed for the new year and marked former Pope Benedict XVI’s passing. The Vatican announced Benedict died on Saturday at age 95.

In New York, rain that was fierce at times did not deter the crowd at a dazzling Saturday night spectacle kicking off celebrations across the United States.

The Times Square party culminated with the descent from One Times Square of a glowing sphere 12 feet (3.6 metres) in diameter and comprised of nearly 2,700 Waterford crystals.

Before the ball dropped, there were heavy thoughts about the past year and the new one to come.

“2023 is about resurgence – resurgence of the world after COVID-19 and after the war in Ukraine. We want it to end,” said Arjun Singh, as he took in the scene at Times Square.

Concerns about the Ukraine war and the economic shocks it has spawned across the globe were felt in Tokyo, where Shigeki Kawamura has seen better times but said he needed a free, hot meal this New Year’s.

“I hope the war will be over in Ukraine so prices will stabilise,” he said.

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In New Zealand, the proclamation of Charles as monarch on Sunday, taking over from Queen Elizabeth who died on Thursday aged 96, took place in the parliament in Wellington.

Speaking from parliament’s steps, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the event acknowledged the queen’s son, “His Majesty King Charles III as our sovereign”.

Ardern told a crowd that in the wake of the queen’s death, New Zealand had entered a time of change.

“King Charles … has consistently demonstrated his deep care for our nation,” she said. “This relationship is deeply valued by our people. I have no doubt it will deepen.”

14 realms outside the UK

In Australia, Governor General David Hurley, the British monarch’s representative in Australia, proclaimed King Charles as head of state at Parliament House in Canberra. The proclamation was marked by a 21-gun salute.

The British monarch is the head of state in Australia as well as New Zealand, among 14 realms outside the United Kingdom, although the role is largely ceremonial.

Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a national day of mourning for the queen would take place on Sept. 22, with the day to be a public holiday.

Albanese said he would travel to London on Thursday, attend the queen’s funeral on September 19 then return to Australia on September 21.

“Then the National Day of Mourning and the memorial service is set to be the day after,” he told ABC television.

“That’s to allow people to pay their respects for the passing of Queen Elizabeth,” the prime minister said.

Albanese said Australia had offered to fly 10 of his Pacific Island counterparts and New Zealand dignitaries to Britain for the queen’s funeral.

Asked about how Australians would view the new monarch, Albanese said King Charles would have to “forge his own path”.

As a mark of respect, national flags in Australia are at half mast, parliament has been suspended and a giant portrait of the queen was displayed on the sails of the Sydney Opera House.

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The statement came late on Saturday after a court in New Zealand lifted suppression orders and allowed the publication of details on the attacker.

He was identified in court documents as Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen, a Tamil Muslim from Sri Lanka.

The 32-year-old had arrived in New Zealand 10 years ago on a student visa-seeking refugee status, which was granted in 2013.

Ardern, who referred to Samsudeen as “the terrorist” and did not mention his name, said he came to the attention of the police and security services in 2016 after expressing sympathy on Facebook for “terrorist” attacks.

Subsequent investigations revealed that his refugee status was fraudulently obtained and authorities began the process to cancel his right to stay in New Zealand.

Court documents said Samsudeen was arrested at Auckland airport the following year, when it was suspected he was on his way to Syria. A police search of his home at the time revealed a large hunting knife and “propaganda” material related to the ISIL (ISIS) group.

He was in prison facing criminal charges, including over the ISIL material, when the New Zealand government served him with deportation notices in 2019.

But Samsudeen appealed the notice, telling a court he faced “arrest, detention, mistreatment and torture” if sent back to Sri Lanka.

In her statement, Ardern said the deportation appeal could not proceed until after Samsudeen’s criminal trial concluded.

“In the meantime, agencies were concerned about the risk this individual posed to the community,” she added, noting officials knew he could be released and that the appeal, “which was stopping his deportation, may take some time”.

At that stage, Samsudeen had been held in custody for three years and authorities had exhausted all avenues to keep him detained.

He was released on bail in July, but subject to constant surveillance.

“Immigration New Zealand explored whether the Immigration Act might allow them to detain the individual while his deportation appeal was heard,” Ardern said. “It was incredibly disappointing and frustrating when legal advice came back to say this wasn’t an option.”

While the legal process dragged on, Samsudeen grabbed a knife off a supermarket shelf in Auckland on Friday and injured seven people, leaving three critically wounded, before he was shot dead by police who were tailing him.

Ardern promised on Saturday to pass legislation that would criminalise planning a terror attack and tighten other counterterrorism laws.

The new bill will criminalise planning and preparation that might lead to an attack, closing what critics have said has been a loophole allowing plotters to stay free.

Samsudeen’s family issued a statement to the local media on Saturday, describing their shock over the attack.

“We are heartbroken after this terrible event,” said the statement released by his brother Aroos, carried by state broadcaster 1NEWS.

“We hope to find out with you all, what happened in Aathil’s case and what we all could have done to prevent this,” the statement said.

Sri Lanka’s Muslim Council has also condemned the Auckland attack as a “barbaric act of terrorism”.

“This reminds all of us to come together and be united and fight against terrorism and violent extremism,” council member Mohamed Hisham told the AFP news agency.

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