EGYPT: ALL ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT

Issue #

Egypt:

All About the

Government

March 13,
2015

The Modern Government

by Patricia Stephens

In 1952, Egypt became known officially as

the Arab Republic of Egypt when the country
officially gained their independence from
Great Britain. A year later, they established
the country as a republic with a semipresidential system. The executive branch is
split between the president, prime minister,
and the cabinet while the legislative branch
consists of the Peoples Assembly. The
judicial branch on the other hand consists of
three courts: the Court of Cassation, the
Supreme Constitutional Court, and the
Supreme Administrative Court.
Egypt is divided into 27 governorates, which
is like a small state that has their own
governor (appointed by the president) and
local government.

Political Parties
Egypt has a multi-party system. Currently
there are 18 parties. Some parties include:

Al-Asala

Al-Nour

Al-Wasat Party

Al-Watan

Building and Development Party or

BDP

Dustour (Constitution) Party

Egyptian Current Party

Egypt of Freedom Party

Formation of political requires approval by

the government.

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi

President of Egypt
Elected June 2014

Peoples Assembly

The President

The Peoples Assembly, or the House of

Representatives, is currently the only group
apart of the legislative branch. The legislative
branch used to be bicameral, consisting of
both the Peoples Assembly and the
Parliament; however, with the overthrow of
President Mubarak in 2011, the Parliament
was dissolved. The Peoples Assembly
consists of a minimum of 450 seats, which 5
percent are appointed by the president, that
serve 5 year terms.

The President of Egypt holds a lot of the power in the

government. The nominees are chosen by a two-thirds
majority vote in the Peoples Assembly, and then one of
those nominees is elected as president by popular vote.
The President is elected every 6 years.

Ibrahim Mahlab
Prime Minister
Appointed March
2014

The Court System

The three highest courts in Egypt are the
Court of Cassation, the Supreme
Constitutional Court, and the Supreme
Administrative Court. The courts have a huge
role in the government because they are
given the responsibility of monitoring
elections. The court/judicial system is mainly
based on European concepts and methods,
and follows Napoleonic legal code.

The Prime Minister

The prime minister is the head of the cabinet and is
appointed by the president. The prime minister is in
charge of the agenda for the legislative branch, and also
helps to provide a system of checks and balances so that
the president does not hold too much of the power.
There is no term limit.