Egyptian Parliamentary Elections and Scenarios for Change on the Political Landscape


The upcoming parliamentary election in Egypt is important because it is the third step in the road map after drafting the constitution and holding presidential election. Elections are expected to be carried out on two rounds to choose members of the new House of Representatives.

This paper attempts to analyze opportunities and potential risks related to the next parliamentary elections in Egypt based on the assumption that these elections will provide new opportunities to come out of the tense political scene and push the democratic process forward. Still, the political landscape might not experience radical changes due to weak political parties involved in elections, the process of partisan alliances before elections due to restrictions stipulated in the election law.

There are also other reasons with possible implications on the new composition of parliament such as the decision of a number of political parties to boycott elections, indications about the rising role of dirty money in elections, the declining hope of forming a solid parliamentary majority that shoulders with the political regime the burden of running the democratic process and ensures the legitimacy of the political system.

All of this might eventually lead to more tension and polarization in the political landscape.

The position paper concludes by reviewing potential scenarios for the next parliament.

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