CAIRO, 3 January 2005 — Egypt will hold parliamentary elections in the second half of November, Minister of State for Parliament Kamal El-Shazli was quoted as saying yesterday.
The current Parliament’s five-year term expires this year. Shazli said the new Parliament would hold its first session in mid-December, Egypt’s official MENA news agency reported.
Egypt’s last parliamentary elections in 2000 were marred by violence. Opposition candidates complained polling stations were closed to their supporters and civil rights activists said officials tampered with the electoral register.
The elections resulted in an 85-percent share of seats for the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), which is headed by Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s president.
Political observers say Parliament has little power and most executive authority lies in the hands of the president, who is nominated by members of Parliament.
Mubarak’s current six-year term as president also expires this year.
Parliament will nominate the sole candidate for the presidency in May, an official in the office of NDP Secretary-General Safwat El-Sherif said.
The sole candidate will be put to a public referendum in September.
MENA quoted Sherif on Saturday as saying the nomination would be in March, but his office said that was a mistake.
