Social Science in Egypt and the Middle East

Legislative power in Egypt is divided into two chambers: the Majlis al-Sha'b, People's Assembly, and the Majlis al-Shura (equivalent of the French Senat).

the Majlis al-Sha'b has 454 members: 444 are elected for a five year term, 10 are nominated by the President. Last parliamentary elections were held in 2000.

Except few references (mainly in Arabic) on the institutionnal framework of electoral process, bibliography on elections in Egypt is rather scarce regarding the long history of parliamentary life in Egypt since 1866. One can easily guess the reason why elections are not such a passionate interest for political scientists and sociologists: results never bring surprises and the political constancy of the regime institutions since 1952 has not brought yet conditions for a political shift.

Anyhow, election campaigns in process are instructive and definately inform us on dynamics of socio-political representation and on relations between the State, the political elite and the people. This is the approach that authors of Contours and détours du politique en Egypte (L'Harmattan, Paris, 1997) took for observing and analysing the 1995 elections campaign. See for a more global perspective on the issue: Eberhard Kienle in A Grand Desilusion. Democracy and Economic Reform in Egypt (London, Tauris, 2001). Also Ahram weekly special issue online on 1995 elections.

In this continuity, Assia Boutaleb analysed the 2000 election from an anthropological perspective. See article online "Lecture anthropologique des élections législatives égyptiennes 2000" (in French). This article is to be published in English at AUC press, in Cairo Social Science Papers, special issue dedicated to 2000 Egyptian elections.

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(PdF format, in French)