Egypt’s Cabinet Set To Endorse Electoral Districts Law

Egypt’s cabinet is expected to endorse the final draft of a new ‎electoral constituencies law in a meeting on Wednesday, thus ‎opening the country’s long-awaited polls to be held as soon as ‎possible.

Informed sources told Ahram Online on Tuesday that Egypt’s ‎cabinet, led by Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab, will endorse a ‎final draft of the new electoral constituencies’ law in a plenary ‎meeting on Wednesday.‎

The cabinet’s endorsement comes after the State Council’s ‎Department of Legislations and Fatwas and the Higher Election ‎Committee (HEC) approved the final draft of the law on Monday ‎and Tuesday.‎

The remaining step for the law to go into effect and for long-awaited parliamentary elections to begin is for ratification by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

The registration of candidates could open at the end of December ‎or early January, the source added.‎

Ali Abdel-Al, a member of a technical committee which drafted the law, said that the law’s final form will not be sent to the High ‎Constitutional Court (HCC) for additional examination.

“Some political parties asked for a prior HCC scrutiny of ‎the law but this demand was rejected because it violates the ‎constitution,” said Abdel-Al.‎

According to Abdel-Al, the constitution (article 192) only grants the HCC ‎the right to scrutinise the Presidential Election Law.

If the law is ratified by President El-Sisi at the end of this week ‎or next week, it will give the green-light for HEC to meet to ‎prepare for the final election procedures and set ‎a date for candidate registration in the polls.

Source : Ahram online