European Forum

Results for Egyptian run-offs come in as government is installed with new powers

The Egyptian military rulers have sworn in a new cabinet on Wednesday the 7th of December, which will have expanded powers. Critics say, however, that the new cabinet is made up of loyalists to the military, and will therefore not usher in real change. The military also announced it wants to install an oversight committee to monitor the drafting of a new constitution. The establishment of this committee seems to be related to the electoral victory of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party. Now that results are coming in from the first run-offs, the Islamist party is further extending its lead in the country’s complicated elections.

New cabinet, old names
The new Egyptian cabinet has been sworn in on Wednesday the 7th of December. Under pressure from street protests in the symbolic Tahrir square, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has replaced the old cabinet and granted various presidential rights to the government. It does, however, maintain control over military and judicial affairs, an exception that has enraged protestors. The new Prime Minister, Kamal al-Ganzouri, has already held the same post under Mubarak, and the new Minister for the Interior is Cairo ex-policechief Mohammed Ibrahim Yusuf, a sensitive appointment as many hold him accountable for the violent crackdown on Tahrir-square in which 40 people died recently.

Military wants to oversee drafting of new constitution
The SCAF also announced that the next parliament will not be representative enough to independently oversee the drafting of a constitution, and they will appoint a council to check the influence of religious extremists on the process. "We are in the early stages of democracy," said General Mukhtar Mulla, a member of the ruling military council. "The parliament is not representing all sectors of society." In theory, the new parliament will be entrusted with forming a 100-member constituent assembly to write the new constitution. But Mulla said the new council will coordinate with parliament and the Cabinet to ensure the assembly is representative of all religions, professions, and political parties.

Run-off elections
Left-wing parties managed to secure just 3 of the 44 seats that were up for grabs last Monday, with two districts being won by Egyptian Bloc candidates and one by a contender from The Revolution Continues. The Freedom and Justice Party won 31 seats and the Salafist Al-Nour party 4. Voter turn-out for the run-offs was low, with some stations receiving just five voters. Observers say the declined interest is mainly due to people who believe that they will not be able to influence the results, as in many districts one candidate is much more popular than her/his opponent. Six run-off races were cancelled due to irregularities in the first round of the elections; re-votes are scheduled for mid-January.

The Egyptian elections are being held in three stages; These run-offs were for the first one-thirds of the districts were the elections were held on the 28th of November. Two-thirds of the seats in the national parliament are allocated through national party lists. The other one third of the seats is contested by independent candidates using a first-past-the-post system, but only four independent candidates had won out-right seats last week. Voting in the remaining two-thirds of electoral districts is scheduled to take place later this month and in January.

Read more on the elections that took place a week ago here.

Sources: BBC, BBC, CNN, Jadaliyya, Volkskrant, Image.