As Egypt gears up for Senate elections in early August, approved civil society organizations are training volunteers to monitor the vote. However, many independent rights groups have either withdrawn or expressed skepticism about the process, citing a climate of political repression and tight media control.
According to the official timeline, Egyptians living abroad will cast their votes on Aug. 1 and 2, while domestic voters will head to the polls on Aug. 4 and 5. Official results are expected on Aug. 12, coinciding with the launch of the runoff campaign, if required.
As these election dates approach, the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) and other licensed organizations have launched training sessions focused on legal standards, voting procedures, and international best practices for electoral transparency.
However, their work unfolds against a backdrop marked by the absence of independent watchdogs who once played major roles in Egypt’s elections.
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) is one of several groups that have declined to participate since 2014. The head of its Egypt/Road Map Program, Mohamed Zarea, attributed this decision to the absence of genuine democratic competition.
“We used to monitor elections as part of national coalitions since 2010. But after 2014, we saw no value in monitoring something so clearly predetermined,” Zarea told Al Manassa.
He cited the state’s monopoly over media as a key reason, saying, “The media landscape is already settled.” He explained that this pervasive control began with Egyptian Media’s dominance and later expanded with United Media Services.
Egyptian Media group, initially established in 2016 by businessman Ahmed Abou Hashima, saw its structure evolve after Eagle Capital Management acquired his stake, gaining full ownership. In 2019, it merged with several other media firms to form United Media Services (UMS), which now oversees a broad portfolio encompassing television channels, digital and print newspapers, and media networks.
Zaraea also cited the intense pressure and targeting faced by some human rights organizations after 2014. “We all lived with the constant fear they could raid our offices at any moment,” he recounted, adding, “We couldn’t work freely or bring in field monitors, fearing we would put them at risk.”
He added that following a wave of prosecutions targeting rights groups, many organizations ceased operations or left the country. Zaree noted that international observers, including the EU and the Carter Center, also withdrew post-2014, concluding that conditions no longer permitted meaningful oversight.
“What is there left to monitor?” he asked. “The entire process is staged well before voters arrive to dance at the polling stations."
The Egyptian Association for the Advancement of Community Participation also halted its electoral work after the state opened Case 173, which targeted foreign-funded NGOs. Its chariman, Magdy Abdel Hamid, was issued a travel ban in 2017.
Other former observers, such as Mohamed Aly Zarea of the Arab Organization for Criminal Reform, left Egypt after authorities froze his and his organization’s assets in 2017.
In contrast, pro-government groups continue to participate. Saeed Abdel Hafez, head of the Forum for Development and Human Rights Dialogue and a member of the NHCR, confirmed his coalition of 550 NGOs operating across 10 governorates remains active.
“Our role is to ensure procedural integrity, not to comment on politics,” he told Al Manassa. He acknowledged Egypt's limited party landscape, but said this should not deter observation. “Transparency in the ballot box is one thing. The political climate is another.”
He also noted that his organization recently published a report analyzing the 2025 Senate vote, calling for electoral law reform to improve representation and transparency.
Egypt’s 300-seat Senate is chosen through a mixed system comprising one-third by closed party lists, one-third through individual candidacies, and one-third appointed by the president.
On July 10, the National Elections Authority announced the closure of the nomination window, with 469 candidates registered for individual races. For the party-based seats, only the National Unified List for Egypt submitted nominations; a list dominated by the pro-government Nation’s Future Party, which put forward over 40 candidates.
Smaller parties such as Homeland Defenders, Democratic Alliance, and Egyptian Social Democrats submitted a handful of candidates each.
