Egypt's National Dialogue reveals discussions in closed session on electoral system of municipal councils

 CAIRO – 9 August 2023: The National Dialogue released Tuesday a statement on a closed session that took place the day before to phrase proposals and recommendations pertaining to the electoral system of municipal councils, and that were put forward by participants earlier in public discussions.

The session was attended by a limited number of experts, specialists, and stakeholders "taking into consideration the representation of [diverse] viewpoints and political balance." The proposals and recommendations are being phrased in a way that meets constitutional requirements, as they will be submitted to the National Dialogue's board, then the president of the republic.

The session also included discussions on the applicability of opinions at hand, and whether the election system shall be closed lists, a combination of closed lists and open lists, or a combination of closed lists and individual candidacy.

Talks also tackled the number of council members on the levels of the village, town, city, neighborhood, and governorate. That is in addition to linking the number of members per municipal unit/council with the population density in the electoral district.

Participants in the session further conferred over the official definition of a farmer and a worker, as well as the conditions a candidate must meet to run. In another context, there were disagreements on whether the Municipal Administration Bill and the Municipal Councils Elections Bill should be merged or not.

They also discussed regulations pertinent to introducing municipal councils in new cities when they get populated enough, in addition to putting an end to invalid votes in municipal elections.