Civil Movement condemns Egypt’s ‘dead elections’, demands electoral reform

The Civil Democratic Movement has criticized Egypt's proposed electoral amendments in a statement released Thursday, warning that the government is effectively taking over the political life through restrictive legislation and top-down control of the election process.

In a statement, the opposition coalition expressed deep frustration with the continued enforcement of a hybrid electoral system that combines individual candidacy with a fully closed-list system. The group described this framework as a “democratic setback” that undermines political plurality and silences diverse voices.

“The insistence on a majoritarian system that wastes votes and excludes fair representation, along with gerrymandered constituencies that consolidate power, confirms that the electoral process is entirely orchestrated by state authorities,” the statement said.

The movement warned that the laws aim to create tokenistic, profit-driven legislative institutions with minimal public participation and no reflection of citizens' actual will.

“This trajectory has dismantled accountability and fuelled corruption,” the group said, arguing that Egypt's ability to navigate external challenges has been weakened by an unrepresentative political landscape.

The Civil Movement recalled its engagement in last year’s National Dialogue initiative, launched by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, hoping it would pave the way for reforms. One of their core demands was a proportional list system that would offer broader political representation.

Parliament Speaker Hanafy Gebaly announced Wednesday that the House of Representatives had officially received two draft laws. The first to amend the House of Representatives Law, and the other concerning Law o. 174 of 2020, which regulates the division of electoral constituencies.

The debate over electoral reform had already stirred tensions during the National Dialogue sessions in July 2023, where opposition parties called for proportional representation. Pro-government parties, including Nation's Future, Homeland Defenders and the Republican People's Party, pushed to retain the current closed-list format.

Following a failed attempt to reach consensus, the Dialogue’s Board of Trustees submitted three recommendations to the president in August 2023: keep the current system, adopt a fully proportional list, or introduce a mixed model with one-third of seats allocated to each system.

However, Taalat Khalil, general coordinator of the Civil Movement, told Al Manassa the proposals were ultimately ignored.

“We are genuinely disheartened,” Khalil said. “This confirms that the National Dialogue was nothing more than political theatre.”

The coalition is expected to meet soon to decide whether to participate in the upcoming elections. Khalil said that if they do contest, they plan to field a joint list and nominate candidates in selected constituencies. He has not confirmed his own candidacy.

Civil Movement member Akram Ismail told Al Manassa that work is already underway to prepare candidates for individual races. He criticized the government for sidelining proportional representation and accused authorities of stripping electoral participation of any real political substance.

“We are trying to restore people's ownership over political decision-making,” Ismail said. He ruled out joining any electoral alliance that includes pro-government parties.

Ismail added that the final list of candidates and districts was still under discussion, but would likely include a combination of well-positioned contenders, symbolic challengers, and fresh faces meant to engage the public.

“This is a dead election,” he said. “No one is talking about it. The political environment is so tightly controlled that the outcome is already known.”

He referenced the last parliamentary elections, in which prominent opposition figures such as Mohamed Fouad and Ahmed Tantawy failed to secure seats, saying, “It sent a clear message: unless you’re on the list, you have no chance.”

On Tuesday, MP Abdel Hadi Al-Qasabi, head of the parliamentary bloc for Nation's Future, submitted the proposed amendments. The move was backed by over one-tenth of the House, including members of the Republican People's Party, Homeland Defenders, independent MPs, and representatives of the Coordination’s Committee of Party’s Youth Leaders and Politicians.

A parliamentary source told Al Manassa that the redistricting proposals would affect only four constituencies. The broader electoral system, however, would remain intact. Egypt last used the same hybrid system in the 2015 and 2020 elections.