Background
Egypt's political landscape was reshaped after the 1952 revolution lead by Jamal Abdul Nasser. The changes brought about by Nasser can only be described as a revolution because they altered and affected almost every aspect of Egypt's political, military and economic thinking and activities. The centralised method of governance, Socialist thinking behind public wealth management, and Pan Arab regional policies brought about by Nasser were carried over by Anwar Saddat who was his successor, and upon Sadat's assassination in 1981 by president Hosni Mubarak until today.
Current Political Structure
The Egyptian parliament consists of two chambers
• The People's Assembly (Majlis al-Chaab) - consists of 454 members where 444 are elected by popular vote.
400 members are elected by proportional representation in two-member constituencies, and 44 are elected in single-seat constituencies. The remaining ten seats are appointed by the president. In majority of cases those 10 seats are chosen from Egypt's minorities, including from Egypt's Coptic community and women. The president may dissolve the Assembly only if he gains support for such a course in a referendum. At he same time a minister can be asked to resign if the Assembly passes a vote of no confidence in him/her. A referendum may be called if there is a dispute between the president and the Assembly regarding the dismissal of a minister.
• The Shura Council - The task of this Council is strictly an advisory one, with no legislative powers. According to Egypt's constitution, the Shura council is to be consulted in "proposals for the amendment of the constitution, draft laws, draft of the general plan for social and economic development, peace treaties, and alliances". One hundred and seventy-six members of its 264-member body are elected by popular vote. Egypt's president appoints the remaining 88 members.
The last elections in Egypt were in October-November 2000, where 15 political parties ran for seats , with the following outcome:
National Democratic Party (NDP) 388 seats, 175 of which went to its official candidates and 213 to NDP members running as independents. Hizb al-Wafd-al-Jadid, Unionist, Ahrar, and Nasserist Parties, took 17 seats; and independent parties won 37 seats. Two seats remained vacant.
"Al-Ikhwan Al-Moslemoon" or the Muslim Brotherhood is the strongest opposition party in Egypt. The Organisation's reach and popularity has increased due to its welfare projects in underdeveloped areas in Egypt and its "clean" image which runs contrary to the relatively corrupt image of the Egyptian central government. However due to the ban on religious parties in Egypt's election system, this party is not able to run its candidates. Nevertheless the 17 "independent" candidates chosen in the last elections were unofficial representatives of this party. It should be noted that the Muslim Brotherhood's strictly Islamic beliefs in terms of running country and government run contrary to any concept of elections and democracy. For example one of the organisation's main goals is “Mastering the world with Islam". Such views are perceived as a threat against Egypt's secular nature of government. Thus partially explaining the Egyptian government's opposition to the election of this group in the parliament.
The President's role
President Hosni Mubarak has been the president of Egypt since 1981. Most recently he was re-elected for a fourth six-year term of office in a referendum held on 26 September 1999.
Under Egypt's constitution, the powers of the President include:
• The power to appoint and dismiss one or more vice presidents, the prime minister, ministers, deputy ministers, civil and military officials and diplomatic representatives.
• The President is the supreme commander of the armed forces and has the right to grant amnesty and reduce sentences, as well as the authority to call a referendum.
The President's power increase in times of state of emergency laws. Egypt has been in a state of emergency since president Mubarak's elections in 1981 (as the previous president was assassinated). Therefore currently president Mubarak can exercise special powers designated to him under this law. Such powers include allowing the police to have almost unlimited powers of search and arrest and the control of media against any persons or activities which can be considered as "threats" against the country's security. State of Emergency laws also allow the president to circumvent the country's apparent complex judicial laws and to use "fast track” military courts to try cases (especially regarding Islamist opponents of the government) as such courts are considered to be more effective in achieving convictions.
The central role played by the President and his authority was shaped in its formative years by Nasser's centralized planning and state-led system. Although in recent years president Mubarak has initiated efforts to streamline and localize public administration. This plan was endorsed during the congress of the governing National Democratic Party (NDP) in September 2003 with the slogan "New Thinking – strengthening the Citizens' Rights". President Mubarak announced further social and political reforms which impact on areas as diverse as the education system, legislation on political parties, youth policy, health care and the provision of basic goods for the population, the equality of women and greater participation of the population in political decision-making processes. Although such reforms have not materialised, there has been more open discussion about them than ever before in Egypt.
By: Meir Javedanfar - All contents of this page are protected by International Copy Right Laws ©
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