Hani al-Gamal – Cairo

Egypt’s independent Elections Commission, composed of a panel of judges and public figures, has stopped receiving applications for the upcoming House of Deputies elections.

The commission received 4,006 applications from candidates, including from aspiring politicians who will run as independents and will now begin the review stage.

Potential candidates whose applications were turned down by the commission can appeal this decision, in the hope of having their applications approved. Half of the candidates will run as independents, while the other half will run within party lists.

The Elections Law, which was approved by the outgoing House of Deputies, specifies 143 constituencies for independent candidates and for party lists. The House of Deputies (the lower house of parliament) will contain a total of 568 seats, 25% of which will be set aside for women, according to the Elections Law that has been endorsed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The law gives the president the right to appoint 5% of the members of the legislature. The 143 constituencies specified for independents contain 284 seats, whereas the four constituencies specified for the political parties contain 120 seats. The House of Deputies is important in that it gives final approval to bills proposed by both the government and legislators.

There is also the second chamber of parliament, the Senate, which was reinstituted within a package of constitutional amendments in 2019, almost five years after it was abolished. The first stage of the House of Deputies elections will take place for Egyptians outside Egypt between 21 and 23 October, and inside Egypt on 24 and 25 October.

The second stage of the elections will take place for Egyptians outside Egypt on 5 and 6 November, and for those inside the country on 7 and 8 November.