Mubarak era MPs make comeback in Egypt parliament polls

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Almost five years after the departure of autocratic President Hosni Mubarak on the back of an 18-day popular uprising members of his now-defunct National Democratic Party (NDP) have made a strong comeback in Egypt’s new parliament.

Held in two stages in October and November Egypt’s just-conclude parliamentary polls were the first since Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt’s first democratically president -- was ousted in a 2013 military coup.

According to the vote results former NDP members won almost a quarter of the assembly seats -- 124 -- that were up for grabs in the two-phase ballot.

"This is natural since former NDP members are very experienced when it comes to elections" Saeed Sadeq a political science professor at the American University in Cairo told Anadolu Agency.

Most other political parties in Egypt he added lacked experienced cadres.

"This has played into the hands of former NDP members and allowed them to make a strong showing in the polls" Sadeq said.

The NDP’s power in Egyptian state politics has remained largely uncontested since the party was founded in 1978 by late President Anwar Sadat.

Under Mubarak the NDP dominated Egypt’s parliament leaving only a small number of seats to opposition parties such the Muslim Brotherhood which used to field parliamentary candidates as independents to avert a government ban.

In 2010 the NDP won almost all the seats in the national assembly prompting the opposition to withdraw from the vote citing fraud.

One year later however Mubarak was forced to step down following an 18-day popular uprising against his rule.

Not long afterward the NDP was dissolved by court order and its assets transferred to the state.

‘Political money’

Political analyst Yousry al-Azabawi for his part pointed out that independent candidates -- many of whom are former NDP members -- had won most of the seats in Egypt’s new parliament.

"No single party managed to secure a majority in the new assembly" he said.

The 596-seat assembly includes 568 elected members: 448 who are elected on an individual basis and 120 through party lists.

President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi meanwhile will appoint the remaining 28 lawmakers.

According to Egypt’s official electoral commission “For the Love of Egypt” -- a pro-Sisi electoral alliance -- won all 120 seats allocated for party lists.

"What is notable in this parliament is that many businessmen along with former police and army personnel were elected as MPs" al-Azabawi said.

He went on to assert that "political money" had played a major role in the recent election.

"This led to the election of many businessmen to the assembly" he said.

According to official poll results the "Free Egyptians" party -- founded by business tycoon Naguib Sawiris -- was now the biggest party in parliament with 65 seats.

"The new businessmen-MPs will become a strong rival to the government since they have considerable funds at their disposal and own a number of media outlets" Sadeq the political science professor said.

The parliamentary vote saw a total voter turnout rate of 28.3 percent of Egypt’s nearly 55 million eligible voters according to figures released by the electoral commission.

The polls however were marred by widespread reports of vote-buying with activists posting several videos online showing candidates in various districts distributing money to voters.

Egypt’s new parliament is expected to hold its first session later this month.

Political Islam

Sadeq also noted that the election saw the decline of Islamist parties which had dominated the country’s first post-Mubarak parliamentary poll in 2011.

"Political Islam has almost collapsed" he said asserting that Egypt’s ongoing crackdown on dissent -- along with the global fight against the Daesh militant group -- had had a negative impact on Islamist parties.

Egypt’s Salafist Nour party for example the only Islamist party to contest the polls won only 12 seats in the assembly.

"The election of a large number of women and Coptic Christians to parliament will also serve to prevent political Islam from making a comeback" Sadeq opined.

The now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group -- of which ousted President Morsi had been a leader -- swept Egypt’s last parliamentary election in late 2011 following Mubarak’s departure.

The following year however the Egyptian authorities citing flawed electoral laws dissolved the Islamist-dominated assembly.

Since Morsi’s overthrow the Egyptian authorities have waged a harsh crackdown on the Brotherhood arresting thousands of the group’s leaders and supporters.

In late 2013 the Egyptian government went so far as to declare the Brotherhood the country’s oldest Islamist group a "terrorist organization".

- Bolstering Sisi

Sadeq believes the just-concluded parliamentary polls will serve to consolidate Sisi’s grip on power.

"The election will help shore up Sisi who already enjoys international support due to his fight against militancy" he said.

Egypt’s parliamentary poll represented the final phase of a political "roadmap" imposed by the military following Morsi’s overthrow in mid-2013.

The army’s roadmap also included a constitutional referendum and a presidential election the latter of which brought Sisi a former army chief to power last year.