The following is a letter to the editor submitted by the by Spokesman for the presidency of the Arab republic of Egypt to The New York Times.

Egypt’s Election: A View from Cairo

To the Editor:

Re “Turnout Rises in Egypt, but the Vote Raises Doubts” (news article, May 29) and “International Observers Find Egypt’s Presidential Election Fell Short of Standards” (news article, May 30):

Your articles cite criticism of the election process by the losing campaign and some foreign election observers, but ignore the positive affirmations of other election monitors, including a team from the European Union that concluded that “the overall conduct of the voting was generally assessed as ‘good’ or ‘very good.’ ”

You also raise the question of potential ballot stuffing, a suggestion that is offensive and disturbing and for which there is no evidence that it actually occurred.

Twenty-five million Egyptians stood in line last week in 110-degree heat to choose their next president, overcoming fears of terrorism and despite the fact that voting took place during a religious fast. The election marked the seventh time that Egyptians have participated in a nationwide ballot since 2011 — a level of political engagement that shows the extent of Egypt’s evolution.

I do not expect coverage to ignore the difficulties in Egypt’s transition, but ignoring the positive gives your readers a skewed view.

EHAB BADAWY – New York Times
Cairo, June 3, 2014