MP proposes extra marks for students to encourage voting

An Egyptian lawmaker has proposed giving extra marks to students in order to encourage them to vote in the country’s upcoming elections.

The proposal by MP Dina Abdel Aziz was floated ahead of this month's presidential election in Egypt amid expectations of a low voter turnout. Incumbent President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is virtually certain to win the polls, which pit him only against a little-known politician.

The presidential vote is due to be held over three consecutive days, beginning on 26 March. El-Sisi's government is worried that a low turnout will raise doubts about the election's legitimacy and his expected landslide win.

Abdel Aziz has said that her proposal includes offering two extra marks to each student who is an eligible voter when they cast their ballots in presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections. The voting age in Egypt begins at 18.

Abdel Aziz, who has a masters degree in political science, argued that her proposal complies with article 82 in the Egyptian Constitution that obliges state institutions to encourage young people’s engagement in public life.

“Motivating the youth to vote is a form of political empowerment,” she said.

Abdel Aziz, who represents the Cairo district of Helwan, denied claims that her proposal is a type of vote bribe.

“I don’t tell the student to go and vote for a certain candidate. Just motivate him to go to the polls. Grades should not be limited to studies,” she told private newspaper Al-Youm Al-Sabaa.

“The availability of such an incentive can motivate students who are not interested in politics to change their attitude and raise their awareness of and engagement in the political process.”

Some lawmakers have dismissed the grade-for-vote suggestion as unconstitutional.

“Voting is a right for which the voter should not be given favoured treatment or an incentive in order to exercise it,” said MP Ahmed el-Sherif, a member of parliament’s constitutional committee. “Therefore, the proposal of offering [higher] grades to students to vote is considered a privilege for a category of people over others. This is against the Constitution,” he said.

There has been no comment from higher education authorities on the proposal.

Higher Education Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar this month called on universities nationwide to raise students’ awareness of the importance of going to the polls. However, he confirmed that political activism on campus is banned.

“Activities related to political parties are prohibited at universities. [But] spreading political awareness is the responsibility of university administrations to help shape students’ minds,” he said.

Political activity at universities has been banned since 2013 when the army, then led by El-Sisi, deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Academic institutions were rocked by violence blamed on Morsi’s backers in the months that followed his ouster.