Egyptian parties form coalition list, choose individuals to run in Senate elections

CAIRO – 20 July 2020: As the National Election Authority (NEA) finalized the registration process of Senate candidates running in the elections taking place in August, political parties disclosed the number of candidates they have chosen to run on lists and individually.    

Eleven parties have selected candidates to run in Senate elections on lists forming "The Coalition for Egypt." Those are Mostaqbal Watan, Al Shaab Al Jumhoury, Al Wafd, Al Masry Al Democrati, Misr al-Haditha, Al Tagamoa, Al Moatamar, Al Islah wal Tanmeya, Al Haraka al-Wataneya, Al Horeya al-Masri, and Homat Al Watan.

The coalition submitted the Cairo, Middle and South Delta List and the North, Middle, and South Upper Egypt List, and will submit the Western Delta and Eastern Delta lists soon.   

The parties have also selected candidates to run as individuals. Mostaqbal Watan has chosen 93. The breakdown is nine in Cairo; eight in Giza; seven in each of Sharqeya and Beheira; six in each of Alexandria and Daqahleya; five in each of Qalyoubeya, Menya and Sohag; four in each of Gharbeya and Asyut; three in each of Menoufeya, Kafr al-Sheikh, Fayoum and Beni Suef; two in each of Damietta, Qena, Luxor, and Aswan; and, one in each of Port Said, Ismailiyah, Suez, North Sinai, South Sinai, Matrouh, and New Valley.

Al Wafd and Al Moatamar have selected 24 and 20 candidates, respectively. The candidates of the latter are running in nine governorates that are Daqahliyah, Sharqeya, North Sinai, Port Said, Suez, Giza, Beheira, Menya, Sohag, Qena, Aswan, Qalyoubeya, and Asyut.

Al Haraka al-Wataneya has chosen 12 candidates to run in Cairo, Giza, Kafr Al Sheikh, Menoufeya, Damietta, Sohag, Gharbeya, and Qena.

Al Shaab al-Jumhoury has selected seven candidates to run in Cairo, Qalyoubeya, Menoufeya, Gharbeya, Alexandria, Hurghada, and Qena, while only one candidate from Al Tagamoa will participate in elections.  

A number of parties disclosed the number of candidates running on the coalition's list. Those are Homat Al Watan (7), Al Moatamar (4), Al Tagamoa (3) and Al Haraka Al Wataneya (2).

Al Nour Party - that is not part of the coalition and has a Salafist background - has chosen 16 candidates to run in nine governorates. Those are Alexandria, Beheira, Matrouh, Kafr Al Sheikh, Damietta, Fayoum, Beni Suef, Qena, and South Sinai.

The electoral committees have closed their doors Saturday on the eighth and last day for receiving candidacy requests of Senate candidates, Head of the National Elections Authority (NEA) Lashin Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim said 912 candidates have submitted their papers for the coming elections.

The authority announced the preliminary list of candidates along with their election symbols in a couple of widely circulated newspapers on Sunday.

The NEA has already issued a decision on the formation of committees to monitor the election process and report any campaigning violations nationwide.

The NEA detailed that such violations include bullying, the use of religious or discrimination symbols, or worshipping places in the campaigning and posing threats to national unity, among others.

The NEA has excluded expats in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia from voting in the August Senate elections as those states are hostile areas.

This comes as head of the NEA said elections will be held on Sunday, August 9 and Monday, August 10 for Egyptians residing outside Egypt, while locals will cast their ballot on Tuesday, August 11 and Wednesday, August 12.

The results of the first round will be announced no later than August 19.

The run-off will be held on September 6-7 for expats and on September 8-9 for resident citizens. The final results shall be released on September 16.

The NEA issued a decision on the formation of committees to follow up on the election and report any campaigning violations nationwide.

The NEA detailed that such violations include bullying, the use of religious or discrimination symbols, or worshipping places in the campaigning and posing threats to national unity, among others.

A member of the National Committee added, during the workshop organized by the National Press Authority (NPA) on Saturday on Senate election, that the authority increased the number of polling stations due to the Coronavirus pandemic by about 17,000.

Senate’s authorities

Egypt’s House of Representatives approved officially, a bill on establishing the Senate, during a Wednesday general session.

The draft law submitted by MP Abdel Hadi al-Qasabi, head of Support Egypt Coalition, was approved by nearly two-thirds majority of members of Parliament, while only four MPs refused it.

According to the passed bill the Senate consists of 300 members, with one third to be elected through the individual system, the second third through the closed list system, and the last third to be named by the president.

According to the bill, at least 10 percent of the Senate seats should be occupied by women, and there will be 27 constituencies for the individual system, and four constituencies for the closed list system.