- EGYPT
- January 4, 2013
- 2 minutes read
Saleh: Constitutional Court Reviews Election Law Before Race for House of Representatives
Subhi Saleh, member of the Shura Council (upper house of Egypt’s parliament), said that the law of the election of the new House of Representatives, as amended by the ongoing national dialogue sessions, is similar to the previous law – with partial amendments: it approves a system of two-thirds for closed partisan lists and one-third for independents.
"This system comes in implementation of the new Constitution, which – in its transitional provisions chapter – stipulates that the first election after the approval of the constitution shall adopt a system of two-thirds for lists and one-third for independents.
"The law closes loopholes that allowed some to challenge its predecessor as unconstitutional. The election system endorsed by the amended law encourages parties to engage in real political life.
After approval by the Shura Council, the law will be presented to the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC), which will consider its constitutionality, according to the SCC’s new modus operandi as defined in the new Constitution – that it should exercise ‘prior’ oversight. Once the SCC approves the law, the High Judicial Elections Committee is to start using it in the next parliamentary elections.