Mubarak appoints remaining members of the Shura council

Mubarak appoints remaining members of the Shura council

The decision was made after the Shura midterm elections took place early June. According to NGO and human rights organizations‘ monitoring, the integrity of the elections left much to be desired as thugs intimidated both candidates and supporters of the political opposition. Many detentions took place mostly from the Muslim Brotherhood bloc and some still remain detained.

The NDP alleged that it won over 95% of the seats denying there was rigging however many appeals have been submitted objecting to the measures used before, during and after the elections. Although the Shura Council which has 264 members of whom the president appoints one third has limited legislative powers the Shura elections sham indicates that the authorities will have no tolerance for any political opposition in both the upcoming Parliamentary elections and the presidential later in 2011.A constitutional amendment in 2005 gave its members the right to support an independent candidate in the presidential election. However, such a candidate would still have to obtain the approval of 250 members of the People’s Assembly and local councils to be able to run in the election deeming the regulations extremely restrictive.

Among the newly appointed Shura council members are Ibrahim Mahlab, president of the Arab Contractors Company, Tharwat Bassily,  a Coptic billionaire and pharmaceutical investor,  Mufid Shehab, minister of state for legal affairs and parliamentary councils, Amr Ezzat Salama, a former minister of higher education, Mustafa el-Fiqi, member of the Policies Secretariat of the NDP, and Ferkhanda Hassan, secretary general of the National Council for Women, BahaaEddin Abu Shaqqa, a Wafd Party leader ,Ragaa Ateyya, a lawyer, and Mohamed Nagui el-Shehabi.

No members of the popular MB were appointed despite the fact that they had secured 88 seats in parliament in the 2005 elections.