Elections in Egypt

Kingdom of Egypt (1922–1953)

The Kingdom of Egypt was granted nominal independence by the United Kingdom on 28 February 1922. Between the Declaration of 1922 and the Revolution of 1952, ten general elections were held (in 1924, 1925, 1926, 1929, 1931, 1936, 1938, 1942, 1945 and 1950). This era is generally known as Egypt's Liberal Experiment. Egypt has never recovered the level of political freedom it enjoyed during this period.

During the four elections held between 1924 and 1929, candidates from the Coptic Christian minority received 15 to 23 seats. Copts received four seats in 1931, six in 1938, 12 in 1945, and five in 1950. The opposition's share of seats also varied throughout this period. The opposition won 15.1% of the seats in the 1924 election, 18.9% in 1926, 6.9% in 1929, 18.1% in 1936, 12.1% in 1942, and 29.2% in the 1950 election, the last to be held prior to the 1952 Revolution which ended Egypt's multi-party system.

2005 Presidential election

Under the Mubarak era, the Egyptian presidential election of 2005 was the first-ever multi-party, multi-candidate contested presidential election in Egypt's history, made under the 2005/2007 constitutional amendments to the 1971 Constitution of Egypt. Despite its significance, the election was marred by voter fraud, ballot stuffing, boycotts, intimidation, vote-buying, and protests by opposition groups, leading for a low-turnout of under 30%. Before the 2005 election, the President of Egypt was nominated by a two-thirds majority of the rubber-stamp People's Assembly and approved under a referendum process that resembles a show election in authoritarian countries.

2010 Parliamentary elections

Under the Mubarak era, The People's Assembly and Shura Council were elected under an electoral system of single member plurality. Along with the combination of voter fraud, ballot stuffing, intimidation, and lack of judicial and international supervision, this ensured the NDP a super-majority win of seats for both houses. The Muslim Brotherhood were not recognized as a political party by law, but its members were allowed to run as independents.

2012 Presidential election

The 2012 presidential election was the first free presidential election in Egypt's history, in due part to the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. According to the new election rules released on 30 January 2012, candidates have to be born in Egypt under Egyptian parents, must not hold any dual nationality, and not married to a foreigner. Candidates who were convicted of crimes must wait for 6 years before fulfilling their candidacy. In order to be nominated, they must have the support of 30 MPs or 30,000 voters. Four major candidates (Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, Ayman Nour, Khairat El-Shater, Omar Suleiman) and six minor candidates have been disqualified for violation of election rules. The election takes place in a two-round system, with FJP chairman Mohammed Morsi and previous prime minister Ahmed Shafiq leading the first round with 24.78% and 23.66% on the first round of 23–24 May 2012, respectively. In the second round run-off on 16–17 June 2012, Mohammed Morsi won over Ahmed Shafiq with 51.73% over 48.27%. On 24 June 2012, Egypt's election commission proclaimed Morsi as the winner of the run-off. Morsi was sworn in before the Supreme Constitutional Court on 30 June 2012 as Egypt's first democratically elected president.

2011–2012 Parliamentary election

The 2011–2012 parliamentary elections were the first free parliamentary election in Egypt's history and the first after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. The new electoral law allows for two-thirds of seats reserved for political parties elected under proportional representation and one-third reserved for independents under first past the post system, with half of the seats reserved for members of a labor/farmer background (as part of the continuation from Nasser's legacy) and quotas for women made under the Mubarak era to be abolished. Many political parties opposed the new electoral law and threatened to boycott the election unless party members can allow to run in the remaining one-third of the seats. SCAF succumbed to pressure from the political parties and allowed party members to contest the remaining independent seats. The People's Assembly took place in three stages (first stage: 28–29 November 2011 with run-off on 5–6 December, second stage: 14–15 December 2011 with run-off on 21–22 December, and third stage: 3–4 January 2012, with run-off on 10–11 January). The results brought the FJP, represented under Democratic Alliance for Egypt to win a majority of 235 seats, Al-Nour Party, represented under Islamist Bloc with 121 seats, and liberal and leftist parties with 104 seats, with the remaining 40 seats going to ex-NDP and non-partisan independents. In the elections for the Shura Council, the election itself took place in two stages, (first round: 29–30 January, with run-off on 5–6 February, and second round: 14–15 February, with run-off on 21–22 February). The results brought the FJP to win 105 seats, al-Nour with 45 seats, and liberal parties under the New Wafd and Egyptian Bloc with only 22 seats.

Sources:Ahram Online, Al-Masry Al-Youm, Al-Ahram

On 14 June 2012, Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court invalidated the recent 2011–2012 election of the People's Assembly as the court does not accept the results having party members elected as independents. The court ordered the People's Assembly to be dissolved and new elections to be called by the new president.

Next elections

Egyptian presidential elections are held using a two-round system, and as of January 2017 are currently expected to be held no earlier than 8 February 2018 and no later than 8 May 2018.

The House of Representatives sits for a five-year term but can be dissolved earlier by the president. If the current parliament lasts the full term, the next elections will be held in 2020.

Referendums

The first referendum in Egypt was held on 23 June 1956. The electorate agreed with the adoption of the new 1956 constitution, and with the election of Gamal Abdel Nasser as President of Egypt.