Egypt’s 2010 Shura Council Elections
The 2010 Shura Council elections will take place on June 1st, and run-off elections will take place on June 8th. The Shura Council is the Upper House of Egypt’s bicameral legislature, and is composed of 264 people. Two-thirds are elected, half every three years, and the reamining third is appointed by the President of the Republic. Each member serves a six-year term in office. The Shura Council is a consultative body whose role in the legislative process is primarily an advisory one. Nonetheless, its consent is required on legislation implementing constitutional provisions such as the exercise of political rights. In addition, the Shura Council oversees various national councils such as the National Council for Human Rights and the National Council for Women. Any party that holds one elected seat in the Shura Council, the People’s Assembly, or the lower house parliament, and that will have been registered for five years in 2011, may nominate a candidate in the 2011 presidential election.
The Elections
• Every three years half of the elected seats in the Shura Council (88) are reelected.
• At least half of the elected members must be workers or farmers.
• Each voter selects one or two candidates at the ballot box depending on the size of the district.
• To win, a candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the votes cast. If no candidate receives a clear majority, then a run-off election is organized between the top candidates.
Qualifications to be a Candidate
In order to stand for election to the Shura Council, an individual must meet the following requirements:
• Be an Egyptian citizen, and if Egyptian citizenship was acquired through naturalization, five years must have passed since acquisition of citizenship.
• Be at least 35 years old.
• Have completed their compulsory military service.
• Not have been convicted of specific criminal acts for which the law requires a temporary suspension of political rights.
Currently, there are 490 candidates, including 358 independent candidates and 132 representing political parties.
Campaigning
• Egypt’s Constitution and electoral laws provide for the equal right to campaign for all candidates.
• The High Elections Commission sets the official campaign period, and for the 2010 Shura Council elections it began on May 17, 2010 and will extend to May 30, 2010. No campaigning is allowed on Election Day.
• Each candidate’s campaign has a spending limit of EGP 200,000.
• Existing media guidelines provide for free air time to political parties on local and national publicly-owned radio and television networks to present themselves and their platform to voters.
Voting
• On Election Day, polling stations are open from 8am to 7pm. Voters in line before 7pm are allowed to vote.
• Voters must cast their votes at their registered polling stations, where they are asked to present a voter card and identification card.
• Votes are conducted by secret ballot.
• After voting, a voter must sign the registrar and dip their finger in indelible ink.
• By law, security forces are not permitted in polling stations or their immediate surroundings, except with the permission of the chairperson of the polling station
The High Elections Commission
• The High Elections Commission (HEC) is an independent body made up of 11 members, and chaired by the President of the Cairo Court of Appeals, that manages Egypt’s electoral process.
• The Commission oversees the electoral process in each district and polling station through a series of subsidiary bodies. First, District Electoral Committees are composed of judges appointed by the HEC, and these committees deploy field delegations to do spot-checks for irregularities at polling stations. Second, Polling Committees made up of officials appointed by the HEC oversee the balloting process. Last, each district’s ballot counting is overseen by a Ballot Counting Committee, composed of the judge chairperson of the district, representatives from each candidate and Egyptian civil society observers.
• Accredited civil society observers and representatives of the candidates will observe both the casting and counting of ballots at polling stations and district electoral committees.
Electoral Reform in modern egypt
Between 2005 and 2007 a number of progressive reforms were proposed into the electoral system by the government of Egypt, and subsequently ratified by the Egyptian Parliament and by popular referendums. In 2005 these reforms laid the groundwork for the first direct multi-candidate Presidential elections, replacing the previous system of presidential referendums.
In that election, President Hosni Mubarak ran against nine other candidates in a process that was marked by unprecedented levels of open political discourse and competition. On the elections, a number of democracy and human rights observers are on record for praising the Egyptian people's willingness to speak out while recognizing that this willingness has generated a serious public debate instead of just another presidential plebiscite. A spokesman for the U.S. State Department called the elections "a historic departure for Egypt" and added that "it's safe to say that Egyptians have not seen a presidential election like the one they have just seen in their lifetimes."
The reforms introduced to the electoral system in 2005 and 2007 included:
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Diversifying the field of candidates and bringing more political parties into the election process by allowing parties to put forward a candidate, as long as they have five percent representation in Parliament, and as an exception for any presidential elections between 2007 and 2017 any party with one elected seat in Parliament may nominate a president. Under the current composition of Parliament, five parties qualify to nominate a president.
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Reforming the High Elections Commission by expanding its mandate to supervise the whole electoral process from candidate registration to ballot counting and results announcement, and by excluding representatives of the executive branch, and reinforcing the role of the Judiciary by increasing the number of judges.
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Under the new law, Egyptian civil society representatives and candidates were authorized to have representatives observe the vote.
Government Oversight Reform
On December 26, 2006, President Mubarak asked the Parliament to enact reforms to guarantee public freedoms, the rule of law and equality based on the principle of citizenship. These reforms ensured a separation of powers between the legislative and the executive branches of the government and strengthened Parliament's role in overseeing government activities.
The broad objectives of these reforms envisage:
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To enhance the role of the Parliament, by allowances to introduce budgetary amendments, identify state budget priorities, approve the government's budget and withdraw confidence from the government without resorting to a referendum.
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To enhance the role of political parties, by introducing a new legislation and a better management of the electoral process ensuring its fairness, credibility and transparency.
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To emphasize the principle of equal citizenship rights, regardless of race, religion, or gender, by introducing a constitutional ban on the creation of ethnic or religious based political parties.
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To stress the notion of the electorate, as the source of all authority by balancing the relationship between the executive and the legislative branches.
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To uphold the independence of the judiciary, through the abolishment of the Supreme Judicial Authorities Council, the Public Socialist Prosecutor and the Court of Values.