I talk about Egypt's system of government from executive to legislative and how elections work in a country that has gone through some recent turmoil.

1. June 18, 2020
The Government System of Egypt
theweeklyrambler.com/the-government-system-of-egypt/
Egypt is a country found in northeast Africa and is connected to the Middle East, the
country is bordered with Libya, Sudan, Israel and the Gaza Strip and has coasts along
the Mediterranean Sea facing Turkey, Cyprus and Greece and along the Red Sea facing
Saudi Arabia, and part of Egypt also faces Jordan across the Gulf of Aqaba. The capital
city Cairo is found close to the Mediterranean Sea coast. The area of Egypt has a long
and rich history and is known for its historic ancient landmarks such as the Pyramids
and the Great Sphinx.
Egypt’s long history stretches back to ancient times where it is known popularly in
modern times as Ancient Egypt and has one of the longest histories of any country in
the world and is considered a cradle of civilization and is credited with some of the
earliest developments in writing, agriculture, urbanisation, organised religion and
central government. The area was an important centre for Christianity, but Islam took
prominence from the 7 Century, but a significant minority of Coptic Christians remain
in the country.
The area has been ruled by various powers over its history including the Roman and
then Byzantine Empire, followed by Islamic caliphates and then from the 16 to
20 Centuries the country was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, where it was largely
th
th
th
1/11

2. autonomous, especially during the Mohammad Ali dynasty and then the country
became a protectorate of the British Empire after the 1 World War and for a short
period Egypt was a Sultanate.
Growing nationalism in Egypt led to a revolution against British control in which Britain
granted Egypt independence in 1922 although continued to occupy the country
militarily and greatly influence its political affairs. Also, after “independence” the
country transformed from a Sultanate into a Kingdom and a new constitution
implemented a parliamentary-based system.
Nationalist tensions continued due to British presence and influence and a treaty had
British forces withdraw from all of Egypt apart from the Suez Canal. As further strain
was put on the Egyptian Monarchy by the nationalist party in government, the treaty
ended up failing and an attempt to force British forces out of the Suez Canal took place,
leading to a skirmish that killed 43 Egyptian policemen and 3 British soldiers and of
which outrages Egypt.
Tensions ended up culminating in a revolution against the Egyptian Monarchy in 1952
with the King abdicating and the Royal Family fleeing the country. A Republic was
formed but political parties were banned and authoritarianism and military
rule ensued. In 1958 there was a short union with Syria known as the United Arab
Republic but it ended in 1962 after Syria seceded.
Flawed democracy as well as humanitarian abuses continued until a revolution in 2011,
part of the wider Arab Spring, took hold of the country and led to the overthrow of long-
time leader Hosni Mubarak and democratic elections were held, but after the election of
Morsi it wasn’t long until crisis renewed again due to concerns of stricter Islamic law
from liberal/secular members over the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and shortly
after this Morsi made a move that protected his decrees from challenge which he said
was to protect the work of the constituent assembly. Riots, unrest and a military coup
ensued.
Al-sisi has been in charge since elections were held again following the Interim period
after the coup but certain moves he has made, such as amendments to the constitution
to increase term limits, as well as his influence in the military has him viewed as
increasingly authoritarian by some foreign observers.
The official language is Arabic and the national language is Egyptian Arabic. The largest
religion is Sunni Islam which is also the official state religion. The currency is the
Egyptian Pound and the population is estimated to reach 104,124,440 by July 2020.
Government Type
st
2/11

3. Egypt Coat of Arms.
Egypt is a semi-presidential and parliamentary republic with a President who is Head of
State and a Prime Minister who is Head of Government. There is also a unicameral
parliament called the House of Representatives that makes up legislative government
and multiple parties are allowed.
3/11

4. The constitution states that parties formed on the basis of religion, discrimination based
on sex, origin, sect or geographic location or any parties hostile to democracy or parties
that are secretive or have a military or quasi-military nature are not allowed.
The Executive Government
Heliopolis Palace, one of the official presidential palaces.CC BY 4.0. Source.
There is a President who is Head of State as well as head of the executive branch of
Government. With this comes a number of powers at the positions disposal.
Vacancy
If the President is temporarily vacant from their position then the Prime Minister will
act in their place until they return.
If the President is absent permanently and the House of Representatives agrees then the
Speaker of the House of Representatives will become interim leader and a new
president is elected within 90 days.
If the House of Representatives happens to be dissolved under a permanent vacancy of
the President then the General Assembly of the Supreme Constitutional Court and its
chairman will replace the House of Representatives and its Speaker.
The interim President cannot run for office, request an amendment to the constitution,
dissolve the House of Representatives or the Government.
Duties
4/11

5. As Head of State the President represents the state in its foreign relations and will
conclude treaties as well as ratify them after they have been approved by the House of
Representatives, treaties to do with peace and alliance or rights and sovereignty must
also be confirmed in a public referendum. Treaties against the constitution or that
concede national territory are not allowed.
The President is the Supreme Commander of the countries Armed Forces. The President
cannot declare war or send the armed forces outside of the national territory without
consultation with the National Defense Council and approval of at least two-thirds of
the House of Representatives. If the House is dissolved at the time then instead the
Supreme Council of the Armed Forces must be consulted and approval given by the
National Defense Council.
The President appoints civil and military personnel and diplomatic representatives and
can dismiss them. The President confirms political representatives to foreign countries
and organisations.
During grave situations that require it the President after consultation with Cabinet and
with the approval of the House of Representatives can declare a State of Emergency to
free up emergency powers that may be needed to handle or bring under control such
situation. When declared the period does not last longer than three months unless
extended by another three months by a two-thirds majority of the House of
Representatives. During a State of Emergency the House of Representatives cannot be
dissolved.
When the House of Representatives is not in session and urgent measures require the
President can issue decrees with the force of law and the House of Representatives can
review such stuff and either keep them or retract them when they next form.
The President can call public referendums on issues considered of supreme interest to
the public.
The President has the right of pardon and can mitigate sentences after consultation
with the Cabinet.
The Executive Branch
The executive branch is made up of the Prime Minister, Prime Minister’s deputies, the
ministers and their deputies. The Prime Minister heads the Government and oversees
its work and directs its performance.
The President appoints the Prime Minister after parliamentary elections. The Prime
Minister shall form government and present a program of policy to the House of
Representatives and gain their confidence, failing to do so shall have the President of
the Republic replace the Prime Minister with a new one this time by nomination of a
5/11

6. party or coalition that holds the plurality of seats. If again the new Prime Minister fails
to get the confidence of the parliament then the President of the Republic will dissolve
the House of Representatives and call fresh elections.
The President, in consultation with the Prime Minister, chooses the Ministers of
Justice, Interior and Defense.
Prime Minister and members of Government must not also hold a seat in the House of
Representatives.
The Executive Government has a number of duties to carry out including collaborating
with the President of the Republic to set public policy of the state; maintain security of
nation, protect rights and interests of the state; direct, coordinate and follow up on
work of the ministries; prepare draft laws and decrees; issue administrative decisions;
prepare draft general plan of the state; prepare draft annual state budget; contract and
grant loans and implement laws.
The President has the power to exempt the executive government from carrying out its
tasks if agreed to by the House of Representatives via an absolute majority. The
President of the Republic, in consultation with the Prime Minister, can also conduct a
Cabinet reshuffle as long as at least one-third of the House of Representatives give
approval.
The President can delegate some of his/her powers to the Prime Minister or his/her
deputies, Ministers and/or Governors.
The President can call the government to meeting for important matters and will
preside over meetings that the President attends.
The President alongside the executive Cabinet sets forth the state’s general policy and
will oversee its implementation. The President can convey messages in the House of
Representatives.
Presidential Removal
For violating provisions of the constitution, for high treason or any other felony the
House of Representatives can bring forth a motion signed by at least a majority of the
members of the House to impeach the President, which is confirmed by a two-thirds
majority. The President shall be suspended from office and replaced by an assistant
while the Prosecutor General investigates the President.
There will be a special court formed that is headed by the President of the Supreme
Judicial Council and also includes the most senior deputy of the President of the
Supreme Constitutional Court, most senior deputy of the President of the State Council
and the two most senior Presidents of the Court of Appeals.
If the President is convicted by the special court then they are removed from office.
6/11

7. The House of Representatives is based in the capital city
Cairo. Photo from Abdallah on Wikimedia. CC BY-SA 3.0.
Source.
The House of Representatives can also withdraw confidence from the President and
hold early elections on a causal motion signed by at least a majority of members and
then approved by two-thirds majority, such a motion can only be submitted once during
a presidential term.
If the above proposal is approved the Prime Minister shall then put it to a public
referendum and if approved by a majority the President shall be removed from office
and early elections called, if it does not get a majority then the President shall dissolve
the House of Representatives call fresh elections.
The Legislative Government
Procedure
The House of Representatives is
the unicameral parliament that
makes up the legislative
government. It is mandated to
approve general policy of the
state, general plan of economic
and social development and also
the state budget and is also
tasked with overseeing the
actions of the executive
authority.
The single parliamentary
chamber currently has a
whopping 596 members, the
constitution says that there must be at least 450 members and the President is able to
appoint a minority of them. The vast majority are elected members.
In April 2019 a constitutional amendment to implement a 180-seat upper house of
parliament called the Senate was approved and also would restrict the members of the
House of Representatives to 450 but the changes are yet to be implemented.
The ordinary annual session of the House of Representatives is convoked by the
President of the Republic, but even if the President fails to do so it shall meet anyway.
The President can only bring the session to a close once the annual state budget has
been passed and the closing of the session must be approved by members.
An extraordinary session of the House of Representatives can be called to look into an
urgent matter, it can either be called by the President of the Republic or by a request
signed by at least 10 members.
7/11

8. In its first regular meeting after parliamentary elections the House of Representatives
elects its Speaker and two Deputy Speakers. The Speaker or Deputy Speakers can be
removed at the request of one-third of members, confirmed by a vote of two-thirds for
violating commitments of their post. Speakers cannot be re-elected for more than two
consecutive legislative terms. It is up to the Speaker to maintain internal order by
regulating debate and making sure house rules are abided by.
Sessions of the House are open to the public by default but can be closed for a certain
agenda at the request of the President of the Republic, Speaker of the House or at least
20 members of the parliament and is decided on by the majority of members.
Legislation and resolutions are adopted by an absolute majority of members, unless
requiring a special majority higher than that. Legislation is proposed by the President of
the Republic, the Executive Government Cabinet or at least one-tenth of members of
the House of Representatives. Bills are scrutinized by a special committee before being
submitted to the house, the committee must give a reason if it chooses not to submit a
bill to the house.
Bills rejected by the house cannot be reintroduced again in the same legislative term.
The President is able to veto legislation passed by the house that he/she disagrees with
and should then be sent back to the house within 30-days where it will be reconsidered,
if passed unchanged again by at least a two-thirds majority it will become law.
Prime Minister and other members of Government can attend sessions of parliament or
a committee but not vote. If their attendance is requested by the house they are
obligated to appear. They must be heard when they request to speak and must answer
questions from members.
The President of the Republic cannot dissolve the House of Representatives except
when necessary by causal decision and following a public referendum. The House
cannot be dissolved for the same reason the previous house was dissolved. If the House
is dissolved early then elections must be called by the President of the Republic within
30-days.
Parliament can grant amnesty.
Confidence and Removal
Two-thirds of members can vote to remove an individual member if they have lost trust
or status or failed the conditions on which they were elected or violated any duties.
The house in its duty to keep the executive authority in check can withdraw confidence
from the Prime Minister or other member of government. This can happen
after interpellation and requires it to be requested by at least one-tenth of members and
confirmed via an absolute majority. If the Prime Minister loses confidence or if a
minister or one of their deputies or a deputy of the Prime Minister loses confidence and
the Government before the vote put forth their solidarity to the member then the entire
8/11

9. government must resign.
The House of Representatives has the power to form special committees tasked with
fact-finding for the examination of a public matter or activities of any administrative
department, public agency, public enterprise on a specific issue and will inform the
House on its findings where any such action to be taken will be decided by members.
The Electoral System
Photo by AHMED XIV from Wikimedia. CC BY-SA 4.0.Source.
Parliamentary elections are held every 5-years to elect the members of the House of
Representatives. 448 members are elected from single or multi-seat constituencies
where candidates require an absolute majority to win, otherwise run-offs are held
between the top two candidates won via simple majorities. 120 members are elected
from party-lists in multi-seat constituencies using block voting where a party requires
an absolute majority of votes to win a swathe of seats, a 2 round is held between the
top two parties if there is no absolute majority attained and this is won by simple
majority.
In the party-lists there are quotas that must be met for woman, youth, Christians and
nd
9/11

10. workers fair representation. Finally, 28 further members are appointed by the President
of the Republic.
Candidates for the House of Representatives must be an Egyptian citizen, enjoying all
civil and political rights, hold at least a certificate of basic education and be at least 25-
years-old.
Prime Minister is appointed by the President based on who they believe will hold the
confidence of the House of Representative’s members.
Note: The Senate that is meant to be implemented will have 120 of its members directly
elected and 60 of its members appointed by the President of the Republic.
Presidential elections happen every 6-years and uses a two round system where a
candidate requires an absolute majority to win in the 1 round otherwise a 2 round is
held between the top two candidates won by simple majority. One person can serve a
max of three consecutive terms (18 years).
Candidates for President must be an Egyptian citizen born to Egyptian parents and at
no point could the candidate, parents or spouse have held other citizenship. Must have
all civil and political rights and have served in the military service or if not, have been
exempt from military service by law. Candidates must be at least 40-years-old.
Sources
The source for this comes from Egypt’s 2014 constitution (constituteproject.org) as well
as some updated information on presidential term and its limits and also about the
upcoming Senate from the CIA World Factbook Egypt entry as well as information from
there on population. This post should then be as accurate as possible but of course
there is always the chance I missed something or misinterpreted something and
as always, the constitution can be amended and so this post may eventually become
outdated and so cross-research is important if using this in a serious capacity.
Amendments to the constitution are proposed by the President of the Republic or by at
least one-fifth of members of the House of Representatives. Acceptance of the proposal
requires a majority of members and adoption requires two-thirds of members and
confirmation by a majority in public referendum.
Next up will be the government system of El Salvador.
Thank you for reading this post, if you have any queries please Email me, you can find
my Email in the Contacts & Community section. Please also follow The Weekly Rambler
on Twitter and Facebook which you can access through the buttons at the bottom of this
website. You can also use the social media buttons under each blogpost to share with
your family, friends and associates. You can also subscribe to Email notifications at the
right-side of this website to know whenever a new post goes up (you can easily
unsubscribe from this at any time through a button in each Email notification), or
st nd
10/11

11. alternatively you can use an RSS Feed Reader. Please also join my FB
Group The Weekly Ramblers Readers Group where readers can more easily talk with
each other and also with me whenever I am on, you can also find it in Community.
11/11