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Al-Ahram Weekly
7 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Senate campaigning kicks off
The lists of candidates competing for seats in the Senate in the August elections will be finalised this week. Head of the National Elections Authority (NEA) Hazem Badawi announced this week that the papers of 469 individual candidates and of one party list for the 4-5 August Senate elections have been accepted by the NEA. He indicated that the administrative courts have also finalised revising appeals filed against the lists of candidates. Final candidate lists will be published in two state-owned newspapers on 18 July so that voters can identify the candidates, Badawi said. The Senate consists of 300 members, two thirds of whom will be elected by secret ballot, while the president will appoint the remaining third. No fewer than 10 of the total number of seats will be allocated to women. Semi-final tallies show that four political parties —Mostaqbal Watan (the Nation's Future), the Unified Front, Homat Watan (Protectors of the Nation), and the People's Republican — are leading the race with around 303 individual candidates. Opposition parties like the Justice Party, the Egyptian Democratic Party, and the Reform and Development Party are also fielding candidates running as individuals. Mostaqbal Watan dominates among the 12 political parties running under the umbrella of the National Unified List (NUL — For the Sake of Egypt), fielding 44 candidates. The other parties include Homat Watan with 19 candidates and the National Front with 12. The People's Republican and the Egyptian Democratic Party, the Reform and Development Party, the Justice Party, the liberal Wafd Party and the leftist Tagammu Party, the Generation's Will Party, the Freedom Party, and the Congress Party are also fielding five or fewer candidates as part of the NUL. The Civil Democratic Movement, which includes several opposition parties, has decided not to participate in the Senate elections, with its spokesman political science professor Mostafa Kamel Al-Sayed describing the poll as 'a foregone conclusion'. The Mostaqbal Watan-led NUL includes high-profile businessman and construction magnate Mohamed Al-Morshedi, the deputy chairman of the Party. It also includes iron and steel business tycoon Ahmed Abu Hashima, deputy chairman of the People's Republican Party, and the Wafd Party's Deputy Chairman Tarek Abdel-Aziz. Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razek, speaker of the outgoing 2020-2025 Senate and chairman of the Mostaqbal Watan Party, has decided not to run. Unlike the Senate's first elections in 2020 when three party lists competed, the NUL is the only one running this year. This suggests that it will win unopposed. This has led many observers to comment that the result of the poll has already been decided. Al-Sayed said that the small number of candidates — 469 — shows that there is a lack of interest in the Senate elections. In 2020, when the elections were held for the first time, there were around 760 individual candidates and three party lists, he pointed out. 'This reflects apathy and indifference about this election,' Al-Sayed said, adding that the adoption of the closed list system and the limited role played by the Senate were mainly to blame for the lack of interest. The result is a foregone conclusion because the 100 candidates on the one-party list will win, and the president will appoint another 100 candidates, he said. The individual seats will be swept by pro-government candidates affiliated with parties like Mostaqbal Watan, the Unified Front, the Homat Watan, and the People's Republican, Al-Sayed said. The 300-seat Senate was created after a number of constitutional amendments were passed in April 2019. A review of the amended constitution shows that the Senate has purely advisory powers. The state's socio-economic development plans, foreign agreements, laws, and other public policy matters are required to be discussed by the Senate, but the final say on them is the prerogative of the lower house of parliament (the House of Representatives). Lawyer and human-rights activist Tarek Al-Awadi said on his Twitter account on 10 July that 'the presence of a single, uncontested list in the Senate elections does not reflect the strength of this list but rather reveals the depth of the crisis plaguing Egypt's political landscape… the elections lack any kind of meaningful competition.' Political activist and commentator Mohamed Abul-Ghar said on his Facebook page that the lack of competition in the Senate elections and the low number of candidates show that democracy in Egypt is regressing. Reda Farahat, vice president of the Egyptian National Congress Party, attributed the small number of candidates to the fact that running in the Senate elections is costly for both individuals and political parties. The electoral districts are very large in geographical size, a fact which makes it difficult for most political parties and individuals to campaign, Farahat said. Egypt is divided into 27 districts designated for individual candidate elections (independents), while four districts are reserved for candidates on the closed party lists. Two of these districts (Cairo and South and Middle Delta and North and Middle and South of Upper Egypt) are allocated 74 seats (37 each), and the other two districts (East Delta and West Delta) are allocated 26 (13 each). Essam Hilal, deputy secretary general of the Mostaqbal Watan Party, said the NUL includes candidates from both pro-government and opposition parties. 'It is an electoral coalition that will lead to the creation of a multi-party Senate reflecting all political backgrounds and ideologies,' he said. Assem Al-Gazzar, a former housing minister and chairman of the Unified Front Party, said the NUL reflects a partnership among different political forces. 'Instead of each one having its own electoral list, a number of political parties decided to form a unified list that aims to achieve the public interest and reinforce internal political stability,' Al-Gazzar said. Campaigning for the Senate elections is scheduled to kick off on 18 July and continue until 31 July. There will be a silent day on 30 July, after which the polls will open for Egyptians living abroad on 1-2 August and for those inside the country on 4-5 August. Polling stations will be open during election days from 9am to 9pm. Candidates have the right to use the state-owned media in an equal manner. They are prohibited from using religious slogans or mosques or churches for campaigning. Badawi stressed that the media must refrain from spreading rumours or showing bias to particular parties. He said that media outlets would be banned from conducting opinion polls, adding that the media must provide fair coverage and deal with all the candidates on an equal footing. * A version of this article appears in print in the 17 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt's National Elections Authority urges voters to use new app ahead of 2025 Senate elections
President of the National Elections Authority (NEA), Judge Hazem Badawi, called on eligible voters to download the authority's newly launched mobile app, 'National Elections Authority - Egypt,' and use it ahead of the 2025 Senate elections for locating polling stations or requesting a change of polling centre. The Egyptian National Election Authority (NEA) announced in a press release issued Sunday that its newly launched mobile application is now available for download via Google Play and App Store. First rolled out on Friday, the application provides comprehensive information about all electoral entitlements under the NEA's supervision. It also introduces a range of first-of-its-kind digital services designed to facilitate voter participation and streamline the electoral process. Among the app's key features is the ability for voters to request a change in their polling station—based on information retrieved through the app's inquiry feature—to one that is geographically closer to their place of residence as listed on their national ID. Another innovative service allows family members who are registered across multiple polling locations to submit a joint request to vote at the same station, provided their national ID addresses match. These services are intended to ease logistical challenges and encourage wider voter turnout. The NEA urged all eligible voters wishing to take advantage of these services to submit their requests via the mobile app or the official website no later than Tuesday, 15 July. The Authority described the application as a strategic step toward the digitisation of voter services, highlighting its role in enhancing transparency, improving data accuracy, and simplifying access to electoral updates. This digital shift is part of the NEA's broader commitment to integrating modern technologies in the service of the public and reinforcing democratic participation. The launch coincides with the detailed procedures governing the 2025 Senate elections, which the NEA officially released, including voting arrangements for Egyptians living abroad. Candidacy applications were accepted between 5 and 10 July. Appeals against nominated candidates are being reviewed from 14 to 16 July, with the final list scheduled for publication on 18 July, which also marks the start of the official campaigning period. The deadline for candidate withdrawal is 20 July, while electoral silence will begin on 31 July. Egyptians abroad will cast their votes on 1 and 2 August at embassies and consulates. Eligible voters must be registered and must present either a national ID card or a passport that includes their national ID number. Voting hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time, and special arrangements will be in place to support voters with disabilities. Voting within Egypt will be held on 4 and 5 August, with the final results expected to be announced on 12 August. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Gearing up for the Senate elections - Egypt - Al-Ahram Weekly
Elections for the Senate will be held next month amid preparations among pro-government and opposition parties Candidate registration for Egypt's Senate (the upper house of parliament) elections will take place between 5 and 10 July. Voting for Egyptians living abroad will be on 1-2 August, and for those inside the country on 4-5 August. Polling stations will be open during election days from 9am to 9pm. The National Elections Authority (NEA) will receive nomination papers for candidates at the first instance courts during the five-day registration period daily from 9am to 5pm, except for the final day (10 July), which will be from 9am to 2pm. An initial list of candidates will be announced on 11 July, while campaigning will kick off on 18 July and continue until 31 July. The results of the Senate elections will be announced in the Official Gazette on 12 August. The run-off is scheduled to be held for Egyptians abroad on 25-26 August, and in Egypt on 27-28 August. The final results will be announced on 4 September. In a press conference on Tuesday, head of the NEA Hazem Badawi said an estimated 11,000 judges from the State Lawsuits Authority and the Administrative Prosecution Authority will take charge of supervising the polls. Representatives from civil society organisations, NGOs, international organisations, and media institutions will be allowed to monitor the polls. To be eligible to run, prospective candidates must undergo medical checks to show that they are psychologically capable of performing their duties as Senate members. Candidates are required to undergo these check-ups at hospitals and laboratories specified by the Health Ministry. Candidate application papers should include documents such as a curriculum vitae (CV) and a copy of a criminal record, if applicable. A candidate must also indicate whether he or she intends to run as an independent or as affiliated with a political party. The documents should also comprise financial disclosure statements from the candidate and his or her family, and a military service certificate or an exemption where applicable. Candidates will be required to pay a LE30,000 deposit as insurance. President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi ratified two laws on 10 June regulating the elections to the Senate and the redrawing of its constituencies. The Senate shall consist of 300 members, two thirds of whom shall be elected by direct secret ballot, while the president shall appoint the remaining third (100 members) provided that no less than 10 of the total number of seats shall be allocated to women, the laws state. Egypt is divided into 27 districts designated for individual candidate elections (independents), while four districts will be reserved for electing candidates on closed party lists. Two of these districts are allocated 74 seats (37 each), and the other two districts are allocated 26 seats (13 each). The Senate elections come after parliament approved amendments to the election laws last month. The amendments stated that a mixture of two systems — the individual and the closed party list — would be adopted in the next parliamentary elections (for both the Senate and the House of Representatives). The amendments came under sharp attack from some political parties, which argued that there was no serious competition under the closed list system and that the election results would be a foregone conclusion. People could lose interest in the Senate elections and there would be a low turnout, they said. The closed list system means that a party that wins 51 per cent of the votes in any district takes all that district's seats. Some opposition parties said they wanted the adoption of a proportional list system in which each party list would be allocated seats in proportion to the votes it wins per district. Pro-government parties like Mostaqbal Watan (the Nation's Future) and Homat Watan (the Protectors of the Nation) said they are coordinating in preparation for the Senate elections. 'We and other political parties will seek to form a unified national list to contest the upcoming Senate elections,' said Ahmed Shalabi, the parliamentary spokesperson of Homat Watan. Meanwhile, the leadership of the parliamentary majority party of Mostaqbal Watan will hold a meeting this week to finalise arrangements for the upcoming Senate elections, with a focus on selecting candidates based on competence and integrity. Mustafa Kamel Al-Sayed, a political science professor and a member of the Civil Democratic Movement which includes several opposition parties, said the movement was monitoring developments related to the Senate elections but had not made a final decision regarding participation. The position is still under internal discussion, Al-Sayed said, given the objection to the closed list system implemented in some constituencies, which the movement does not view as reflecting pluralism. Al-Sayed said there was a trend within the movement in favour of participating in the elections in individual seats if a decision is made to run in the elections as a whole, especially since the chances of achieving winning results may be greater than through the lists, which are expected to be dominated by parties close to the government. He added that the movement faces challenges related to limited resources and a lack of an organised presence in some constituencies. However, he believes that participating in the elections could represent an opportunity for the movement to publicise its positions and expand its popular base, even if it does not achieve victory. * A version of this article appears in print in the 3 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Middle East
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Middle East
OPEN// Egypt's NEA set to announce Senate elections timetable on July 1
CAIRO, June 28 (MENA) – The National Election Authority (NEA), chaired by Hazem Badawi, will meet on Tuesday, July 1, to review final preparations for the upcoming Senate elections. The meeting will be followed by a press conference, where the official election timetable will be announced. The authority confirmed it is fully prepared to conduct the vote, noting that all technical and logistical steps have already been completed, including judge and staff training, database updates, and polling station readiness. The NEA affirmed that more than 10,600 judges have been trained using video conferencing tools, while administrative teams have been trained to handle candidacy documents and use digital applications. It added that voter rolls have been updated in coordination with government agencies, and deceased voters have been removed. Polling stations across the country have been inspected to ensure accessibility and safety, it noted. The authority has also coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Expatriates to prepare for voting by Egyptians abroad. (MENA) H A T/R E E
