| Parliament name |
- |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Majlis Al-Chaab / People's Assembly |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Majlis Ash-Shura / Shoura Assembly
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) (from/to) | 9 November 2005
7 December 2005 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the directly elected seats in the People's Assembly on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
Elections for the 444 directly elected seats of People's Assembly (Majlis al-Sha'b) were held in three rounds on 9 and 20 November and 1 December 2005 (See note 1). Run-offs were held six days after each round in constituencies where no candidate had obtained a simple majority.
The 2005 elections were deemed to be a further test of democracy in Egypt after the first multi-candidate presidential election on 7 September 2005
when Mr. Mohammed Hosni Mubarak was re-elected to a fifth term as President with 89 per cent of the votes. His National Democratic Party (NDP) mustered a total of 388
including 35 members who had run as independents but had subsequently joined the NDP. Seventeen of the remaining 37 independent members were backed by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). The MB
a fundamentalist movement founded in 1928
has been officially banned since 1954 following an assassination attempt on the then President
Gamel Abdel Nasser
although under the current Constitution its members are allowed to run for election as independent candidates.
On 9 October 2005
12 opposition groups and the MB formed an unofficial coalition
the National Front for Change (NFC)
in preparation for the elections (See note 2). The NFC backed a total of 225 candidates
most of them running as independents.
A record 5
000 candidates registered for the elections. Despite President Mubarak's pledge to increase the number of women in parliament
there were very few women candidates: six from the NDP and eight from the NFC.
Election campaigning prior to the first round was generally peaceful. Both the ruling NDP party and the opposition coalition pledged action on unemployment
corruption
healthcare and security. NDP candidates called on voters to support President Mubarak's constitutional and legislative reforms in order to strengthen democracy and human rights. MB-backed candidates publicly campaigned under the slogan "Islam is the solution"
without being targeted by the police. The MB pledged to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor and establish a better welfare policy.
On 9 November
the first round took place to elect 164 deputies from among 1
635 candidates. The preliminary results gave 25 seats to the NDP and three to independent candidates backed by the MB. After the run-off elections of 16 November
the NDP and its allies secured 112 seats. The number of MB-backed members was increased to 34
double the MB's representation in the outgoing People's Assembly. The remainder of the seats went to other parties and independent candidates.
In the second round held on 20 November
1
706 candidates contested 144 seats. That round was marred by violence. In the Suez Canal city of Ismailia
the brother of a candidate supported by the MB was shot and wounded reportedly by a relative of an NDP candidate
while four other people were hospitalized in Ismailia following election-related violence. Another clash between NDP and MB supporters was reported in Damanhur (north of Cairo); it apparently left 40 injured.
The preliminary results from the second round showed further gains for independent candidates backed by the MB
who won 13 seats and the NDP
which won eight. On the eve of the second round run-off
police detained some 50 members of the MB
while the ministry of the interior accused the MB members of planning to deploy "thugs" at polling stations to disturb the run-offs. The NDP won an additional 81 seats
making a total of 201 seats in the first two rounds. Independent candidates backed by the MB obtained 42 seats in the second round
bringing their total to 76. The results for six seats were cancelled due to violence or irregularities.
The strong showing of MB-backed candidates in the first two rounds is believed to have provoked a crackdown by the government. The police confirmed the arrest of some 500 supporters of MB-backed candidates in the three days prior to the third round of voting
while the MB said the authorities had arrested more than 1
400 of its members.
About 1
770 candidates competed for 136 seats in the third and final round of elections
held on 1 December. Polling day was again marred by deadly violence. Police used tear gas
rubber and live bullets to disperse opposition supporters. At least one person was shot dead in the northern Nile Delta town of Baltim.
The NDP took nine seats
while none of the MB-backed candidates won a seat in the first phase. On 7 December
run-off elections were held for 121 seats at the same time as elections were held again for the six seats where contests had been invalidated in the first and the second rounds. Six people were shot dead during a protest by supporters of MB-backed candidates who were barred from voting by the police. The MB also claimed that 170 people were wounded in clashes outside polling stations. Due to security concerns
the court postponed elections for 12 seats in six constituencies.
Overall turnout was recorded at 28.13 per cent for the whole election period.
On 10 December 2005
the official results for 432 seats were announced. Twelve seats remained undecided.
Together with its allies
the NDP won 320 seats
losing 68 but securing a two-thirds majority
which allows it to change the Constitution and pass emergency legislation. MB-backed candidates won a total of 88 seats
increasing five-fold the tally of MB-backed seats. The MB thus confirmed its status as the largest opposition force in the Assembly. The other members of the National Front for Change (NFC) won only eight seats: six seats for the liberal New Wafd party
and two for the National Progressive Unionist Grouping (Tagammu). The remaining seats went to 26 independent candidates close to the NDP. Only four women were elected.
On 12 December
in accordance with the Constitution
10 additional members
including five women
were appointed by the President
bringing the total number of women to nine. The new People's Assembly held its first session on 13 December
and Mr. Ahmed Fathy Sorour was re-elected
unopposed
as Speaker.
Note 1:
The first round was held for 164 seats in Cairo
Giza
Menoufiyya
Beni Suef
Al Minya
Asyut
Mutruh and Wadi Gedid on 9 November. The second round was held for 144 seats in Alexandria
Baheyra
Ismailia
Port Said
Suez
Qalubiyya
Gharbiyya
Al Fayyoum and Qena on 20 November. The third round was held for 136 seats in Daqahliyya
Sharqiyya
Kafr Al Shayhk
Damietta
Sohaq
Aswan
Red Sea
North Sinai
and South Sinai on 1 December.
Note 2:
The National Front for Change coalition includes the New Wafd Party (NWP)
the Nasserist Arab Democratic Party (Nasserites)
the National Progressive Unionist Grouping (Tagammu)
the Egyptian Movement for Change (Kefaya)
the Centre Party
the Karama Party
the National Coalition for Reform
the National Gathering for Democratic Change
the Labour Party
the Popular Campaign for Change
and independent candidates backed by the Muslim Brotherhood. The Tomorrow Party (Al-Ghad) founded in 2004 by former Wafd party parliamentarian
Mr. Ayman Nour
who finished in second place in the 2005 presidential elections
did not join the NFC. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 (from/to) | 9 November 2005
7 December 2005 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
31'253'417
8'790'708 (28.13%)
302'350
8'488'358 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| National Democratic Party (NDP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| National Front for Change (NFC) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| National Democratic Party (NDP) |
320
|
|
|
|
|
| National Front for Change (NFC) |
96
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
26
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
433
9
1.98%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Breakdown of the 96 NFC seats:
- Independent candidates backed by the MB: 88
- New Wafd Party (NWP): 6
- National Progressive Unionist Grouping (Tagammu): 2.
Source: People's Assembly(01.01.2010).
Of nine members in all
four were directly elected and five others were appointed.
Sources:
- http://www2.sis.gov.eg/En/Politics/
- People's Assembly (01.01.2008)
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
