{"id":14293,"date":"2025-10-25T14:44:53","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T12:44:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=14293"},"modified":"2025-10-25T22:14:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T20:14:24","slug":"parliamentary-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/parliamentary-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cNo Place for Opposition\u201d: How Egypt\u2019s Election Laws Are Being Used to Block Candidates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Controversy has erupted in Egypt\u2019s political scene over the past few days after several opposition candidates were excluded<\/a> from the final lists of parliamentary nominees \u2014 a development that has reignited debate over the limits of political participation and the integrity of the electoral process. While the National Election Authority insists it is fully committed to the law and applies it equally to all, civil parties and human rights advocates say what happened reflects a growing clampdown on democratic forces seeking to compete, and that broad interpretations of certain legal provisions are now being used in ways that undermine pluralism in the upcoming parliament.<\/p>\n

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In recent days, two candidates from the Socialist Popular Alliance Party were excluded from the final lists of nominees for the parliamentary elections. Both had filed lawsuits in an attempt to be reinstated but the Administrative Court rejected the appeals submitted by engineer Haitham El-Hariri, a member of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party and candidate for the Karmouz district in Alexandria, and by Mohamed Abdel-Halim, the party\u2019s candidate for the Mansoura district, against the National Election Authority\u2019s decision to exclude them from the candidate lists for the 2025 House of Representatives elections. The court\u2019s ruling rendered their exclusion final and binding, meaning they are now officially out of the parliamentary race.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Days earlier, the National Election Authority had disqualified Ahmed El-Sherbiny, a member of the Dostour Party,<\/a> before his appeal was later accepted and he was reinstated on the candidates list, according to a party statement. Human rights advocates and politicians say that what happened to the two members of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, and the obstacles faced by the Dostour Party member, illustrate the tightening restrictions on civil and democratic parties trying to compete for individual seats \u2014 a trend that empties the electoral process of its pluralistic substance and reproduces a parliament dominated by a single bloc, amid shrinking chances for genuine representation of democratic and civic forces.<\/p>\n

The exclusion of candidates due to the lack of prior exemption from military service has been a striking and controversial trend since its enforcement during the Senate elections (the parliament\u2019s upper chamber) held last August. At that time, three candidates from the Nour Party were disqualified for not having performed military service or obtained a legal exemption \u2014 including the party\u2019s deputy chairman, El-Sayed Mostafa Khalifa.<\/p>\n

The Supreme Administrative Court affirmed that candidacy is a restricted right requiring either completion of military service or an official legal exemption, and that anyone who evades service cannot run for office. This rule was strictly applied in the 2025 Senate elections, where courts rejected most appeals from disqualified candidates, emphasizing that exemption must be granted through an official decree, not as a discretionary exception.<\/p>\n

This development unfolds within a broader debate over the closed absolute list<\/em> system recently approved by parliament, which replaced the proportional representation model that had allowed broader participation of smaller and independent political forces. The change drew criticism and rejection from several parties and political groups who argue that proportional representation ensures fairer and more inclusive participation for all political currents.<\/p>\n

Opposition forces represented by the Civil Democratic Movement \u2014 a coalition of opposition parties and public figures \u2014 believe that the closed list system excludes independent voices and entrenches the dominance of a single political current over parliament. They argue that it empties the elections of their pluralistic and democratic essence, turning electoral lists into tools for ensuring political loyalty rather than reflecting genuine popular will. This position was reiterated by members of the movement during a press conference held on May 26.<\/p>\n

In a joint statement signed by several political parties \u2014 including the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, the Egyptian Socialist Party, and the Revolutionary Socialists \u2014 along with a number of public figures and human rights defenders such as lawyer Khaled Ali, Amr Hashem Rabie (member of the National Dialogue Board of Trustees), and Gamal Zahran (professor of economics and political science and former MP), the signatories described the exclusions as a blatant assault on the essence of democracy and a systematic attempt to strip political life of its vitality, turning elections into a mere ritual that beautifies the face of authoritarianism rather than expressing the people\u2019s will.<\/p>\n

The statement recalled the era of late former president Hosni Mubarak, noting that in 2010 the authorities believed that eliminating the opposition would bring stability \u2014 only for anger to explode in January 2011.<\/p>\n

It added that excluding candidates regardless of their affiliations proves that the crisis lies not in the individuals but in the very principle itself: the aim is a parliament without opposition, a public sphere without criticism, and a political scene without life. \u201cThose who seek to kill politics do not abolish it,\u201d the statement said, \u201cthey merely push it into the streets \u2014 into anger and despair. When the doors of democracy are closed, the windows of explosion open.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside Egypt\u2019s Divided Opposition: Why the Civil Movement Couldn\u2019t Form One Electoral Alliance<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n