The first phase of Egypt’s long-awaited parliamentary elections could be completed before the month of Ramadan, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab announced Friday.
In a phone call with Sada el-Balad TV station Friday, Mahlab said “The government is working around the clock to accomplish the first phase of the legislative election before the month of Ramadan. The first phase will be carried out in 14 governorates as scheduled before the Supreme Court ruled part of an election law unconstitutional.”
The statement came a day after the first “community dialogue session” held in the headquarters of Egypt’s House of the Representatives in downtown Cairo Thursday in which Mahlab and representatives of 11 political parties and several public figures met to discuss proposed amendments to the electoral district and political participation laws.
Egypt’s parliamentary elections, which had been scheduled to kick off March 22, were indefinitely postponed after the High Constitutional Court (HCC) ruled in March the unconstitutionality of articles concerning electoral districts and political participation laws.
The new date of the parliamentary race has not been determined yet but several politicians have ruled out it will be held before Ramadan (month in which Muslims fast), which is likely to begin June 18 and end in July 16.
In his talk show airing on ON TV mid-March, Ibrahim Eissa predicted that elections will take place as late as December 2015 with the possibility that lawyers will continue to file lawsuits against the three parliamentary elections laws, which could delay parliamentary elections indefinitely.
