Egyptians go to the polls this weekend toelect a new parliament, which critics say will just replicate a “rubber-stamp” body in place since 2015 under hardline President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, reports AFP.
In the second national elections this year, the North African country willbe electing 568 seats out of 596 in the lower house of parliament.
The remaining deputies will be appointed by former army general-turned-president Sisi, whose government has over the years silenced any seriouspolitical opposition to its rule.
“Parliament has become an apparatus attached to the executive authority,with no real legislative authority,” said Hassan Nafaa, political science professor at Cairo University. “It has almost never questioned any of the government’s policies or carriedout any of the functions that parliaments normally do.”
Giant billboards have flourished across the bustling capital, Cairo, andelsewhere ahead of the vote on Saturday and Sunday. And online campaigns have even seen some candidates releasing video-clipsof songs to draw support. But many of those running this time around also stood for election fiveyears ago in a political landscape marked by the presence of dozens ofparties with little weight and influence on the ground.
The 2015 parliament was the first to come into office after the army, ledby Sisi, ousted Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi, following widespread protests against the country’s first democratically elected civilian president.
Sisi then cruised to victory in 2014 presidential elections, winning 96.9percent of the vote.
The outgoing parliament was packed with his supporters and featured only asmall opposition bloc known as 2530.
Over 4,000 candidates are running this time, with the most fielded by apro-government coalition led by MostakbalWatan party, or the “Nation’sFuture Party”.
It includes top businessmen and public figures, and has grown since 2014 tobe one of the dominant political forces.
Earlier this week, its leader AbdelwahabAbdelrazek was named head of theSenate.
The October vote is the second to be held amid the Covid-19 pandemic whichhas so far infected more than 105,000 people and killed nearly 6,200.
In August, Egypt held elections for the newly restored 300-seat Senate inlow-key upper house elections marked by low voter turnout of around 14 percent.
The reinstatement of the upper house — which had been abolished afterMorsi’s ouster — was among constitutional amendments that Egyptians overwhelmingly voted for last year.
Other amendments included potentially extending Sisi’s rule until 2030,boosting his control over the judiciary and granting the army even greater influence in political life.
“The return of Senate was unnecessary, and parliament only serves as afacade of a legislative authority in Egypt,” said Saeed Sadiq, professor of political sociology at Nile University.
He anticipated another low voter turnout among the country’s 63 millioneligible voters this weekend.
Under Sisi authorities have cracked down on dissent, in a move which hasensnared journalists, online bloggers, lawyers and intellectuals.
Protests have been effectively banned under a restrictive 2013 law, and arenewable state of emergency has been in place since 2017.
“The public space is only filled with movements, ideologies, and partiessupportive of policies of the current ruling system,” said Nafaa.
“There is not a single sign showing that this climate allows for free andreal elections.”
