Egypt’s Civil Democratic Movement has begun preparing for the forthcoming parliamentary elections. Its election committee has held several meetings to discuss participation and is accepting applications from members of its constituent parties and independents associated with the civil democratic opposition.
Unlike previous elections, none of the movement’s parties has announced a parliamentary boycott at this stage. Some, including the Socialist Popular Alliance, had chosen not to participate in earlier contests.
The movement has also held coordination meetings with the Hope Current, led by former MP Ahmed Tantawi, with the aim of building a broad electoral alliance. It would compete against an alliance bringing together pro-government parties and some parties identified with the opposition. However, internal disagreements continue to complicate the initiative.
Walid El Omari, the Civil Democratic Movement’s media spokesperson, tells Zawia3 it has received around 140 applications from prospective parliamentary candidates. The election committee has agreed criteria for choosing between applicants where more than one movement candidate seeks to contest the same constituency. Those criteria are to be presented to the board of trustees at its next meeting.
The movement aims to support as many candidates from the civil democratic opposition as possible, including independents who share its positions—not only members of its parties.
El Omari says specialist committees have been established to provide media, political and legal support. The movement is also planning conferences in different governorates involving its leaders and associated public figures.
Independent applicants will be assessed carefully, he says. Support will depend on their connections with the movement’s parties or alignment with its political aims and positions.
Disagreements over Tantawi’s role
A source within the movement, speaking on condition of anonymity, says a recent election-committee meeting saw disagreement between some members and Tantawi after he announced the selection of more than sixty candidates through online application forms. According to the source, participants objected that clear selection criteria had not been specified.
The source says some members are concerned about Tantawi’s approach to the alliance, particularly efforts to attract people associated with the movement’s parties to stand under the Hope Current’s banner. Those members interpret this as an attempt to establish himself as the opposition’s leader and impose his vision on partners. This is their assessment of the dispute, not an established statement of Tantawi’s intentions.
On its official Facebook page, the Hope Current invited applications from people who regarded themselves as part of a genuine, serious opposition. Its online form set a deadline of 28 August 2025.
The form’s introduction described an effort to offer a civilian alternative capable of leading a democratic transition and building a state based on law and institutions. It said a majority of founding members had approved participation in the 2025 House of Representatives elections for individual seats.
The current tasked Tantawi, the representative of its founders, with seeking an electoral alliance of forces presenting themselves as an alternative to the authorities rather than their followers. Its founding committee approved an initial group of members who had announced their candidacies, while keeping the door open to others sharing its vision of a country that respects citizens’ rights.
An electoral alliance, rather than a political merger
Akram Ismail, a leader in the Bread and Freedom Party, which is under formation, and the Civil Democratic Movement, says discussions extend beyond the Hope Current. The proposed alliance would include civil democratic figures whose positions and objectives align with the movement, whether or not they formally belong to one of its parties.
“We will consider any opposition, democratic or civil actor part of the alliance, provided they agree,” he says, noting that some candidates may prefer not to join.
The focus will be individual seats across governorates, with particular attention to the Suez Canal region, northern Upper Egypt and the Delta. The movement will offer media support, while each party or participant will arrange the financing of its own candidates’ campaigns.
Ismail says participation is an opportunity to present political and social alternatives and reach voters, despite the movement’s objections to the electoral law and what it sees as a tightly controlled political environment.
He describes the aim as demonstrating that candidates exist who represent citizens’ interests and rebuilding the opposition’s presence as a meaningful political actor.
Parties begin selecting candidates
Mohamed Amin, a Socialist Popular Alliance leader and member of the movement’s election committee, describes a bloc operating under the banner of social justice. It includes the Socialist Popular Alliance, the Egyptian Socialist Party, Bread and Freedom and Karama. The bloc is working on a programme reflecting its shared social and political priorities.
The Civil Democratic Movement is broader, Amin notes, encompassing liberal parties such as Dostour and the Conservatives. He says it is more likely to adopt broad slogans than a detailed common programme, functioning as an umbrella for candidates with different affiliations.
According to Amin, parties in the Popular Front for Social Justice have decided to compete only for individual seats, rejecting the list system, as they did in the Senate elections.
He says the Socialist Popular Alliance plans to put forward three principal candidates, potentially rising to five or six. Bread and Freedom expects approximately three; Karama between six and ten; Dostour around thirty; and the Hope Current about sixty. These are the parties’ stated plans at this stage, not final candidate lists.
The social-justice programme is still being drafted, Amin says, but its broad positions include outright opposition to the old-rent law. He describes substantial agreement on such issues among the Socialist Popular Alliance, Bread and Freedom and Karama.
The Conservatives are also accepting applications. Habib El Sannan, a member of the party’s presidential council and head of its executive council, tells Zawia3 it has received seventy applications for the forthcoming House elections.
He says they are being examined before submission to the presidential council, which will decide whether to accept further applications. Plans discussed in the report envisage participation across about fourteen governorates, including Greater Cairo and Upper Egypt.
While the movement seeks a broad opposition alliance focused on individual seats, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, Al Adl and the Reform and Development Party continue coordinating with the pro-government list alliance under the banner “For Egypt”. The absolute closed-list system remains a major point of contention within the opposition.
Participation despite objections to the law
At a press conference held on 26 May at the Conservatives’ headquarters in central Cairo, the Civil Democratic Movement criticised the electoral legislation approved by parliament. Its parties argued that the rules would reproduce the existing parliament’s composition and restrict opportunities for effective political pluralism. Despite these objections, the movement has decided to contest the elections.
The Constitution requires House of Representatives elections to take place during the sixty days preceding the end of the chamber’s term. That provision alone does not establish a particular polling date.
The electoral system combines absolute closed lists with individual-seat contests. Under the amendments, 568 members are elected, in addition to presidential appointees. Half the elected seats—284—are allocated to individual contests across 143 constituencies.
The remaining 284 are distributed across four list constituencies: two elect 102 members each and two elect forty each. For opposition parties seeking to compete outside the dominant list alliance, the individual seats are therefore the central arena for their preparations.
