Egyptians Go To Polls, Opposition Languishes

For the first time since 2015, Egyptians go to the polls this Sunday and Monday to begin the first of two election dates to elect lawmakers to the House of Representatives, the lower body in parliament. Elections in some regions around the country are scheduled for early November, two weeks after the first date. The country’s 63 million eligible voters will elect 568 of 596 seats, with the 28 nonelected seats to be chosen by Egypt’s leader, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Critics of the current Egyptian regime believe that this election will create another “rubber-stamp” parliament, just like the one before it. El-Sisi, a general who turned himself into president, was overwhelmingly elected in 2014 and in 2018, both times carrying around 97% of the vote. He effectively controls the country with support of the armed forces and security forces. With dozens of parties competing for spots in the House of Representatives, sources say it is unlikely that a strong opposition will coalesce to pressure el-Sisi. This summer, the country elected its newly reconstituted 300 person Senate with voter turnout of just over 14%.