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Egypt Government
Egypt was a constitutional monarchy from 1923 to 1952, when military officers seized control of the government. Although Egypt became a republic in 1953, it essentially remained a military dictatorship dominated by a single political party. In 1978 a multiparty political system was instituted.
Egypt is governed under a constitution that was approved by a national referendum in 1971. The constitution, which was amended in 1977, 1980, 2005, and 2007 provides for an Arab socialist state with Islam as the official religion. It also stresses social solidarity, equal opportunity, and popular control of production.
Political power is concentrated primarily in the presidency. Since 1952 Egypt’s presidents have risen from the military, which holds considerable authority in the government. The orientation and policies of the government have shifted considerably with changes in the presidency. In May 2005 voters approved a constitutional amendment that allowed for multiparty presidential elections by secret ballot. Previously, the president was selected by the legislature and approved by a yes or no referendum. Under the terms of the amendment, any registered political party could participate in the first direct presidential election, which was held in September 2005. In future presidential balloting, however, only candidates belonging to political parties that make up at least 5 percent of the legislature, or independent candidates with the backing of at least 65 members of the lower house, are eligible to run.
In 2007 another referendum on constitutional changes approved greater powers for the Egyptian president. The changes gave the president the power to dissolve Egypt’s bicameral legislature without holding a referendum, limit the role of judges in monitoring elections, and suspend civil rights protections in cases that the president determines are associated with terrorism. The referendum also reconfirmed the existing ban on political parties based on religion, a prohibition that is aimed at the popular Muslim Brotherhood. Opposition groups and human rights organizations said the outcome of the referendum was affected by widespread vote fraud. The government said the referendum passed overwhelmingly with more than 75 percent approval and a voter turnout of about 10 million people.
Executive
The head of state is the president of the republic, who is elected by secret ballot for a six-year term. The president, who may serve unlimited consecutive terms, dominates the government. This official may decree emergency measures in the interests of the state, but the constitution stipulates that the president must obtain consent for any such decree by a popular referendum within 60 days. However, a state of emergency that has been in effect since 1981 has set aside the requirement of popular approval for presidential decrees. The president has the power to formulate general state policy and supervise its execution. This official can dissolve the legislature, declare war after approval by the legislature, ratify treaties, commute penalties, suspend civil rights protections in cases associated with terrorism, and order plebiscites.
The president names a prime minister and a council of ministers, or cabinet. Most ministers serve as the executive officers of the government’s various departments, including those dealing with foreign affairs, internal order, social affairs, justice, agriculture, commerce, industry, and education. Some ministers also hold the title of deputy prime minister. Egyptian cabinets help set government policy, but key decisions are often made by the president in consultation with a few close advisers, most of whom are former cabinet ministers or high-ranking military officers.
Legislature
Egypt has a bicameral legislature, comprising the People’s Assembly and the Advisory Council. The People’s Assembly consists of 2 elected representatives from each of 222 geographical constituencies, along with 10 members appointed by the president, for a total of 454 members, all serving five-year terms. The Advisory Council, which serves only in a consultative role, consists of 176 popularly elected members and 88 presidential appointees, all of whom serve six-year terms.
Judiciary
Egypt’s highest court, the Supreme Constitutional Court, reviews the constitutionality of laws and regulations, resolves jurisdictional conflicts, settles disputes in cases where different lower courts have made conflicting judgments, and interprets the government’s laws and decrees. Below this court are courts of general jurisdiction and administrative courts.
Courts of general jurisdiction include the Court of Cassation, the courts of appeal, the tribunals of first instance, and the district tribunals. The Court of Cassation has final jurisdiction in criminal and civil cases. The courts of appeal have jurisdiction over one or more of Egypt’s governorates, or administrative divisions, and hear appeals of decisions made by lower courts. The tribunals of first instance are the courts that hear major criminal and civil cases. The district tribunals have jurisdiction over minor criminal and civil cases. The Public Prosecution, headed by an attorney general, serves at all levels of courts of general jurisdiction in all criminal and some civil cases. The administrative courts have jurisdiction over cases involving the government or any of its agencies and may investigate administrative crimes committed by officials or civil servants. Other judicial bodies include the Council of State, which settles administrative disputes and deals with disciplinary cases within the judicial system, and the Supreme Judicial Council, which ensures the judiciary’s independence from outside interference and helps regulate other judicial bodies.
Egypt’s legal system is closely patterned on that of France. A panel of judges, as opposed to a jury, reaches verdicts. Religious courts once operated, with separate systems for Muslims, Christians, and Jews, but they were abolished in 1956. Many Muslims argue that Islamic law, or the Sharia, should be the sole basis for all Egyptian legislation. A constitutional amendment adopted in 1980 recognizes the Sharia as a principal source of Egypt’s laws, but the legal system remains secular in character.
Local Government
Egypt is divided into 26 governorates, each headed by a governor appointed by the president. Most of the governorates are subdivided into districts and subdistricts. There are local councils at each level, most of whose members are elected, but power over most political matters resides with the central government.
Political Parties
From 1923 to 1952 Egypt had a multiparty political system, but the king or his prime minister often limited the parties’ ability to compete freely for popular support or governmental power. From 1952 to 1978 Egypt’s government was effectively a military dictatorship, and the presidents used a succession of single parties to mobilize public opinion to support their policies. In 1978 a multiparty system was again instituted, but religious parties continued to be banned. The present political system tolerates greater diversity of opinion, but it is not yet fully democratic because the government controls the media and uses a vast system of political patronage to influence elections.
Since 1978 the National Democratic Party has been the dominant party. The government tolerates opposition parties that are not based on religion or on ideologies hostile to the state, but it often restricts their ability to propagate their policies and to run candidates for national or local elections. Legal opposition parties include the Ghad Party, the New Wafd Party, the National Progressive Unionist Party, the Liberal Socialist Party, the Socialist Labor Party, and the Nasserist Party. Despite the constitutional ban on religious parties, many Egyptians support the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Group, or other technically illegal political movements that are not allowed to present candidates for legislative elections. The Muslim Brotherhood has had some success in electing supporters to the legislature by running them as independent candidates. Egypt held its first-ever multiparty presidential election in 2005. Previously, presidential contests were merely yes-or-no referendums on the nominated president.
Defense
Egypt’s armed forces in 2004 totaled 468,500, with 340,000 in the army, 30,000 in the air force, and 18,500 in the navy, and the remainder in the air defense or shared commands. Affiliated with the armed forces are the reserves, the Central Security Forces, and the National Guard. Each branch is headed by a commander, above whom stands the commander in chief of the armed forces. The president has ultimate authority over the military as its supreme commander. There is a three-year period of selective military service. The officer corps exercises great political influence.
International Relations
Egypt led in the formation of the Arab League and was a charter member of the United Nations (UN), both of which were formed in 1945. Egypt played a leading role in Arab opposition to Israel, participating in wars against Israel in 1948-1949, 1956, 1967, and 1973 and spearheading an Arab economic boycott against the Jewish state. In 1979, however, Egypt became the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel. This treaty led to a period of relative isolation, as Egypt was ostracized by other Arab governments. Egypt was ousted from the Arab League, whose secretariat was moved to Tunis. But because Egypt supported Iraq in its war against Iran and also mended its fences with Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat and with Jordan’s King Hussein, relations gradually improved during the 1980s. In an Arab summit meeting held in Amman, Jordan, in November 1987, most Arab leaders agreed to resume diplomatic ties with Egypt, and the Arab League headquarters moved back to Cairo in 1990.
The Middle East peace process has remained a prominent part of Egypt’s foreign policy, and it has sought to persuade other Arab governments to settle their differences with Israel. Although its efforts have often failed, Egypt has undertaken periodic negotiations to defuse Israeli-Arab crises, hosting a summit meeting at Sharm al-Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula in February 2005.
From 1955 to 1972 Egypt relied primarily on the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and other Communist countries for military and economic aid. More recently the Egyptian government developed close political ties with the United States, particularly after the United States helped facilitate the 1979 treaty with Israel. Egypt receives substantial economic and military aid from the United States. Before the Persian Gulf War, Egypt sought to mediate disputes between Iraq and Kuwait in 1990. Egypt supported the anti-Iraq coalition after Saddam Hussein’s forces occupied Kuwait in August 1990 and backed the UN resolutions condemning Iraq’s actions. Egyptian troops joined the multinational force against Iraq in 1990 and 1991. In 2002 Egypt tried to mediate in the conflict between the United States and Iraq. It pressured Iraq to admit UN weapons inspectors and opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 (see U.S.-Iraq War). |
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