Egyptians began voting on Monday in elections for the Senate, the upper chamber of parliament, with the political landscape characterised by pro-government party dominance and limited opposition.
The two-day vote will determine 200 out of the chamber’s 300 seats, with the remaining 100 to be appointed directly by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. Much of the election's focus has centred on the “National List for Egypt”, a coalition of 13 political parties aligned with the government, including the dominant Mostaqbal Watan (Nation’s Future) party.
Out of the 200 seats, 100 are kept for individual candidates and the remainder are expected to be secured by the so-called closed list vote, in which the coalition of parties are putting members forward. It includes both long-standing opposition parties, such as the liberal Wafd party and the leftist Tagamoa, and newer parties such as the National Front, which is led by the former housing minister Essam El Gazzar and backed by businessman Ibrahim Al Organi, a close ally of the President.
Beyond the party list, a total of 428 candidates are competing for the individual seats, including 186 independents and 242 party-affiliated candidates. The election is taking place under judicial supervision in nearly 9,000 polling stations across the country.
The results are expected to be announced on August 12, with any necessary run-offs to follow later this month. Should there be any need to recount, the final vote will be announced on September 4.
The Senate is largely seen as symbolic. It does not hold legislative authority but serves in an advisory capacity. It reviews constitutional amendments, laws, and policies before passing them to the more powerful House of Representatives, where pro-government forces also dominate.
The Senate used to be called the Shura Council before its abolition in 2014 during Mr El Sisi’s first term. The chamber was revived as the Senate in 2019 under a series of constitutional reforms.
The Senate will convene for a five-year term, with its first session expected after all results are finalised. Despite a heated promotion campaign from the government and from senators whose banners can be seen hanging all over Cairo’s districts, rich and poor, there is little to no interest in the election among the people and only brief mentions of it in local press, both pro and anti-government.
Mr El Sisi and Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly cast their votes during televised ceremonies on Monday morning, as did a number of other government ministers and the Grand Mufti.
The Egyptian government launched a national dialogue in 2022 to engage opposition voices. However, rights groups say political freedom remains tightly restricted, with tens of thousands of political prisoners still detained.
Meanwhile, attention will soon shift to the upcoming House of Representatives elections, scheduled for November, which will complete Egypt’s latest electoral cycle.
