President of Egypt
Encyclopedia
The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt is the head of state
of Egypt
.
Under the Constitution of Egypt
, the president is also the supreme commander of the armed forces and head of the executive
branch of the Egyptian government
.
The first president of Egypt was Muhammad Naguib
, one of the leaders of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, who took office on 18 June 1953, the day on which Egypt was declared a republic
.
The most recent president of Egypt was Hosni Mubarak
, who held office from 14 October 1981 until 11 February 2011. Mubarak resigned following eighteen days of protests calling for his removal from office. On 10 February 2011 Mubarak transferred presidential powers to then-Vice President
Omar Suleiman
, making Suleiman de facto Head of State for less than a single day.
As of 11 February 2011, the position of President of Egypt is officially vacant. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces
, led by Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, currently act in the capacity as Head of State. Elections for a new president are expected to be held in January 2012.
. During martial law, the president also anoints deans of faculties and majors, and can also enlist or oust people in the private sector. Egypt has been under martial law since 1981.
When the president's political party or supporters control the Parliament
, the president is effectively the dominant player in executive action, choosing whomever he wishes for governmental positions, and having the government follow his political agenda. However, should the president's political opponents control Parliament, the president's dominance would be severely limited, as he would have to select a prime minister and cabinet reflecting the majority in parliament.
By convention, the president controls foreign affairs and defense-related issues of the state, while the prime minister manages the day-to-day affairs including the economy.
In the late 1970s, Egypt had several cohabitation governments which proved to be unstable, due to the struggle arising between the president and the prime minister. However, since 1981, the National Democratic Party
has maintained a majority in the People’s Assembly
and held the presidency.
establishes the requirements one must meet in order to become president. The president of the Republic should be an Egyptian citizen
, born to Egyptian parents and having full civil and political rights. The president's age must not be less than 40 Gregorian years
.
, the president of Republic is elected indirectly in a two-stage system unique to Egypt. The People’s Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, nominates one of a number of candidates for presidency. The presidential candidate requires at least a two-thirds majority in the People’s Assembly in order to proceed to the second stage of the elections.
The following provisions regarding the election process are stipulated in Article 76 as amended:
A successful candidate must be elected by the majority of the votes. If no candidate attains such a majority, elections will be repeated after at least seven days between the two candidates having the highest votes. In case of a tie between the candidate who attained the second highest votes and a third candidate, the third candidate shall participate in the second round. The candidate who receives the highest votes in the second round shall be declared President.
The amendment also provides that a law will be passed to regulate the relevant election procedures. This law is expected to regulate the various aspects of the election process itself, including campaign funding
, equal access to the media, and guarantees of fair competition.
[SideNote:EAT MY SHORTS - LISA MARIE of Lexington, Kentucky! ♥]
As required by the amendment, the law will be submitted to the Supreme Constitutional Court
to opine on its constitutionality. This establishes an important precedent in Egypt’s legal tradition
, by which the Supreme Constitutional Court shall have the right of prior review of national legislation to decide on its compatibility with the Constitution. This differs from the practice thus far by which the review process undertaken by the Court on national legislation was done subsequent to
the passage of legislation.
The Commission will be composed of 10 members, presided by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court and four other ex officio members of the judiciary who are the most senior serving Deputy President of each of the Supreme Constitutional, the Court of Cassation, and the High Administrative Court, and the President of the Cairo Court of Appeal.
The rest of the Commission will be made up from five independent and neutral public figures: three to be selected by the Peoples Assembly and two to be selected by the Shoura Council.
Decisions of this Committee shall be passed by a majority of seven votes. This Commission will have a term of five years and will be exclusively competent to supervise the presidential election process, including accepting nominations, announcing the names of accepted candidates, supervision of election procedures, vote counting and announcement of the results.
It will also have final judicial competence to rule on any contestation or challenge submitted in relation to the presidential elections, and its decision will be final and subject to no appeal. The Committee will issue its own regulations and shall be competent to establish general sub-committees from among members of the judiciary, to monitor the various phases of the election process, under its supervision. The election process will be completed in one day.
"I swear by Allah The Almighty to sincerely maintain the Republican system, to respect the Constitution and law, to fully care about the interests of the people, and to maintain the independence and territorial integrity of the homeland."
The constitution specifies the number of terms a president shall remain in office to be limited to two terms.
If the president-elect is announced before the end of the incumbent president’s term, the incumbent president continues in office till the end of his term.
. If there is no vice president in-office, the prime minister takes office. However the person who takes office is limited in power as the new president can not dissolve the parliament, propose constitutional amendments or remove the cabinet from office.
In case of the vacancy of the presidential office or the permanent incapacitation of the president, the speaker of the People’s Assembly shall temporarily assume the presidency. In case the People’s Assembly is dissolved at such a time the chief justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court shall take over the presidency on condition that neither shall nominate himself for the presidency. Both are also limited in power as in they can not dissolve the parliament, remove the cabinet, or propose constitutional amendments.
The People’s Assembly shall then proclaim the vacancy of the office of president, and a new president shall be chosen within a maximum period of sixty days from the date of the vacancy of the office.
Although, the constitution does not directly stipulate any role for the vice-president in the process of presidential succession, It had become a tradition for the People's Assembly to nominate the vice-president for the vacant office of the president. Both Sadat
and Mubarak served as vice-presidents at the time the presidential office became vacant, however on Mubarak's succession in 1981 as president he did not appoint a vice-president until 29 January 2011 when during substantial protests demanding reforms he appointed Omar Suleiman
to the role.http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/03/omar-suleiman-egypt-protests
President Nasser
submitted his resignation after the overwhelming Egyptian defeat in 1967 war with Israel, before returning to office after mass demonstrations by the Egyptian public. President Mubarak also resigned on 11 February 2011 after eighteen days of protest against his regime.
, in Old Cairo, Cairo
. Other presidential palaces include:
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Under the Constitution of Egypt
Constitution of Egypt
The Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt was the fundamental law of Egypt. It was adopted on September 11, 1971 through a public referendum. It was later amended in 1980, 2005 and 2007. It was proclaimed to update the democratic representative system in assertion of the rule of law,...
, the president is also the supreme commander of the armed forces and head of the executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
branch of the Egyptian government
Cabinet of Egypt
The Cabinet of Egypt is the chief executive body of the Arabic Republic of Egypt. It consists of the Prime Minister and the cabinet ministers....
.
The first president of Egypt was Muhammad Naguib
Muhammad Naguib
Muhammad Naguib was the first President of Egypt, serving from the declaration of the Republic on June 18, 1953 to November 14, 1954. Along with Gamal Abdel Nasser, he was the primary leader of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, which ended the rule of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty in Egypt and Sudan...
, one of the leaders of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, who took office on 18 June 1953, the day on which Egypt was declared a republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
.
The most recent president of Egypt was Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
, who held office from 14 October 1981 until 11 February 2011. Mubarak resigned following eighteen days of protests calling for his removal from office. On 10 February 2011 Mubarak transferred presidential powers to then-Vice President
Vice President of Egypt
The Vice President of the Arab Republic of Egypt is a senior official within the Egyptian government. The position was created following the establishment of the republic in 1953....
Omar Suleiman
Omar Suleiman
Omar Suleiman is a former Egyptian army general, politician, diplomat, and intelligence officer. A leading figure in Egypt's intelligence system beginning in 1986, Suleiman was appointed to the long-vacant Vice Presidency by then-President Hosni Mubarak on 29 January 2011...
, making Suleiman de facto Head of State for less than a single day.
As of 11 February 2011, the position of President of Egypt is officially vacant. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces
Supreme Council of the Armed Forces
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces consists of a body of 20 senior officers in the Egyptian military. As a consequence of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, the Council took the power to govern Egypt from its departing President Hosni Mubarak on February 11, 2011.The junta meets regularly, as...
, led by Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, currently act in the capacity as Head of State. Elections for a new president are expected to be held in January 2012.
Presidential powers
Under the system created by the 1980 constitutional amendments, the president is the pre-eminent executive figure, who names the Prime Minister of EgyptPrime Minister of Egypt
The Prime Minister of Egypt is the head of the Egyptian government. According to the constitution, the prime minister is the leader of the largest political party in the Egyptian Parliament....
. During martial law, the president also anoints deans of faculties and majors, and can also enlist or oust people in the private sector. Egypt has been under martial law since 1981.
When the president's political party or supporters control the Parliament
Parliament of Egypt
The Parliament of Egypt is the currently dissolved bicameral legislature of Egypt. The Parliament is located in Cairo, Egypt's capital. As the legislative branch of the Egyptian government, the Parliament enacts laws, approves the general policy of the State, the general plan for economic and...
, the president is effectively the dominant player in executive action, choosing whomever he wishes for governmental positions, and having the government follow his political agenda. However, should the president's political opponents control Parliament, the president's dominance would be severely limited, as he would have to select a prime minister and cabinet reflecting the majority in parliament.
By convention, the president controls foreign affairs and defense-related issues of the state, while the prime minister manages the day-to-day affairs including the economy.
In the late 1970s, Egypt had several cohabitation governments which proved to be unstable, due to the struggle arising between the president and the prime minister. However, since 1981, the National Democratic Party
National Democratic Party (Egypt)
The National Democratic Party , often simply called Al-Ḥizb al-Waṭaniy – the "National Party", was an Egyptian political party. It was founded by President Anwar El Sadat in 1978....
has maintained a majority in the People’s Assembly
People's Assembly of Egypt
The People's Assembly is the lower house of Egypt's bicameral parliament. In spite of its lower status, however, it plays a more important role in drafting legislation and day-to-day legislative duties than the Shura Council, the upper house....
and held the presidency.
Requirements to hold office
Article 75 of the Egyptian ConstitutionConstitution of Egypt
The Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt was the fundamental law of Egypt. It was adopted on September 11, 1971 through a public referendum. It was later amended in 1980, 2005 and 2007. It was proclaimed to update the democratic representative system in assertion of the rule of law,...
establishes the requirements one must meet in order to become president. The president of the Republic should be an Egyptian citizen
Egyptian Nationality Law
The Egyptian Nationality Law is based on a mixture the principles of Jus sanguinis and Jus soli with some alterations. In other words both place of birth and Egyptian parentage are relevant for determining whether a person is an Egyptian citizen....
, born to Egyptian parents and having full civil and political rights. The president's age must not be less than 40 Gregorian years
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
.
Election
Election procedures are taken before the end of the incumbent president’s term by 60 days.Candidacy
Additional requirements were provisioned in Article 76 of the Egyptian constitution concerning candidates for the president's office.- Candidates must have occupied one of the top leadership positions in their party for a period of one year.
- Candidate's political party must have been established for a period of five years, and managed to win 3% of the seats in the People’s Assembly (the lower chamber of Parliament), and 5% in the Shora Council (the upper chamber).
- IndependentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidates must receive the endorsement of 250 elected members from Egypt’s representative bodies (approximately 6.5% from a total of 3847 representatives), from which a minimum of 65 endorsements to be obtained from the People’s Assembly (which constitutes 14%), 25 endorsements from the Shoura Council (also 14%) and 10 Local Council endorsements from 14 Governorates (4.5%) in order to ensure geographic representation.
Old system
Under the 1980 amendments of the 1971 Egyptian ConstitutionConstitution of Egypt
The Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt was the fundamental law of Egypt. It was adopted on September 11, 1971 through a public referendum. It was later amended in 1980, 2005 and 2007. It was proclaimed to update the democratic representative system in assertion of the rule of law,...
, the president of Republic is elected indirectly in a two-stage system unique to Egypt. The People’s Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, nominates one of a number of candidates for presidency. The presidential candidate requires at least a two-thirds majority in the People’s Assembly in order to proceed to the second stage of the elections.
2005/2007 constitutional amendment
In 2005 and 2007, constitutional amendments were made. Principles in the amended constitution include:- The election of the president of the Republic by directDirect electionDirect election is a term describing a system of choosing political officeholders in which the voters directly cast ballots for the person, persons or political party that they desire to see elected. The method by which the winner or winners of a direct election are chosen depends upon the...
secret ballotSecret ballotThe secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
from among all citizens who have the right to vote. - Ensuring that multiple candidates be put forward for the people to choose from.
- Ensuring the credibility of the nomination process.
- Providing the opportunity for political partiesPolitics of EgyptThe government of Egypt, as of February 27, 2011, is a republic currently under military rule of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces after the President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak stepped down following several days of mass protests. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the...
to put forward one of their leaders to contest the first presidential elections to be held in light of the amendmentEgyptian presidential election, 2005The Egyptian presidential election of 2005, held on September 7, 2005, was the first allegedly contested presidential election in Egypt's history. Hosni Mubarak, the former President of Egypt, won a fifth consecutive six-year term in office, with official results showing he won 88.6% of the vote...
. - The establishment of a Presidential Election Commission that would enjoy complete independence to supervise the election process.
- Carrying out the election in a single day.
- Ensuring judicial supervision over the voting process.
The following provisions regarding the election process are stipulated in Article 76 as amended:
A successful candidate must be elected by the majority of the votes. If no candidate attains such a majority, elections will be repeated after at least seven days between the two candidates having the highest votes. In case of a tie between the candidate who attained the second highest votes and a third candidate, the third candidate shall participate in the second round. The candidate who receives the highest votes in the second round shall be declared President.
The amendment also provides that a law will be passed to regulate the relevant election procedures. This law is expected to regulate the various aspects of the election process itself, including campaign funding
Campaign finance
Campaign finance refers to all funds that are raised and spent in order to promote candidates, parties or policies in some sort of electoral contest. In modern democracies such funds are not necessarily devoted to election campaigns. Issue campaigns in referendums, party activities and party...
, equal access to the media, and guarantees of fair competition.
[SideNote:EAT MY SHORTS - LISA MARIE of Lexington, Kentucky! ♥]
As required by the amendment, the law will be submitted to the Supreme Constitutional Court
Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt
The Supreme Constitutional Court is an independent judiciary body in the Arab Republic of Egypt, with its new seat in the Cairo suburb of Maadi....
to opine on its constitutionality. This establishes an important precedent in Egypt’s legal tradition
Egyptian Judicial System
The Egyptian Judicial System in Egypt, is an independent branch of the government which includes both secular and religious courts.The Egyptian judicial system is based on Europe and primarily French legal concepts and methods...
, by which the Supreme Constitutional Court shall have the right of prior review of national legislation to decide on its compatibility with the Constitution. This differs from the practice thus far by which the review process undertaken by the Court on national legislation was done subsequent to
Judicial review
Judicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority...
the passage of legislation.
Presidential Election Commission
The amendment to Article 76 of the constitution provides for the establishment of a “Presidential Election Commission” that would have complete independence, and would be charged with the supervision of the presidential election process.The Commission will be composed of 10 members, presided by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court and four other ex officio members of the judiciary who are the most senior serving Deputy President of each of the Supreme Constitutional, the Court of Cassation, and the High Administrative Court, and the President of the Cairo Court of Appeal.
The rest of the Commission will be made up from five independent and neutral public figures: three to be selected by the Peoples Assembly and two to be selected by the Shoura Council.
Decisions of this Committee shall be passed by a majority of seven votes. This Commission will have a term of five years and will be exclusively competent to supervise the presidential election process, including accepting nominations, announcing the names of accepted candidates, supervision of election procedures, vote counting and announcement of the results.
It will also have final judicial competence to rule on any contestation or challenge submitted in relation to the presidential elections, and its decision will be final and subject to no appeal. The Committee will issue its own regulations and shall be competent to establish general sub-committees from among members of the judiciary, to monitor the various phases of the election process, under its supervision. The election process will be completed in one day.
Inauguration and oath of office
In accordance with Article 79 of the constitution, the President must take the following oath or affirmation before exercising his functions:"I swear by Allah The Almighty to sincerely maintain the Republican system, to respect the Constitution and law, to fully care about the interests of the people, and to maintain the independence and territorial integrity of the homeland."
Term(s) of office
Under the Constitution, the president serves four Gregorian years starting from the date of the announcement of result of the plebiscite. The President of the Republic may be re-elected once.The constitution specifies the number of terms a president shall remain in office to be limited to two terms.
If the president-elect is announced before the end of the incumbent president’s term, the incumbent president continues in office till the end of his term.
Succession
In the case of temporary incapacitation of the president, the constitution provides the president to relinquish his powers to a vice-presidentVice President of Egypt
The Vice President of the Arab Republic of Egypt is a senior official within the Egyptian government. The position was created following the establishment of the republic in 1953....
. If there is no vice president in-office, the prime minister takes office. However the person who takes office is limited in power as the new president can not dissolve the parliament, propose constitutional amendments or remove the cabinet from office.
In case of the vacancy of the presidential office or the permanent incapacitation of the president, the speaker of the People’s Assembly shall temporarily assume the presidency. In case the People’s Assembly is dissolved at such a time the chief justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court shall take over the presidency on condition that neither shall nominate himself for the presidency. Both are also limited in power as in they can not dissolve the parliament, remove the cabinet, or propose constitutional amendments.
The People’s Assembly shall then proclaim the vacancy of the office of president, and a new president shall be chosen within a maximum period of sixty days from the date of the vacancy of the office.
Although, the constitution does not directly stipulate any role for the vice-president in the process of presidential succession, It had become a tradition for the People's Assembly to nominate the vice-president for the vacant office of the president. Both Sadat
Sadat
- See also :* Anwar Sadat, former President of Egypt* Sadat * Saadat* Sadat. Term also used for the descendents of Holy Prophet Muhammad through Imam Ali and Bibi Fatima progeny....
and Mubarak served as vice-presidents at the time the presidential office became vacant, however on Mubarak's succession in 1981 as president he did not appoint a vice-president until 29 January 2011 when during substantial protests demanding reforms he appointed Omar Suleiman
Omar Suleiman
Omar Suleiman is a former Egyptian army general, politician, diplomat, and intelligence officer. A leading figure in Egypt's intelligence system beginning in 1986, Suleiman was appointed to the long-vacant Vice Presidency by then-President Hosni Mubarak on 29 January 2011...
to the role.http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/03/omar-suleiman-egypt-protests
Resignation
The president may resign by delivering his resignation to the People's Assembly.President Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
submitted his resignation after the overwhelming Egyptian defeat in 1967 war with Israel, before returning to office after mass demonstrations by the Egyptian public. President Mubarak also resigned on 11 February 2011 after eighteen days of protest against his regime.
Official residences
The official residence and office of the president is Abdeen PalaceAbdeen Palace
Abdeen Palace is a historic Cairo palace, and one of the official residences and the principal workplace of the President of Egypt, located above Qasr el-Nil Street in eastern Downtown Cairo, Egypt.- Overview :...
, in Old Cairo, Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. Other presidential palaces include:
- Heliopolis Palace, in CairoCairoCairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
- Ras Al-Teen PalaceRas Al-Teen PalaceRas el–Tin Palace, is located at the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in Alexandria, Egypt. It was a royal a palace, and is one of the official residences for a serving President of Egypt. Ras el–Tin Palace is the oldest royal Egyptian palace still in use....
, in AlexandriaAlexandriaAlexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving... - Montaza PalaceMontaza PalaceMontaza Palace is a palace and extensive gardens in the Montaza district of Alexandria, Egypt. It was built on a low plateau east of central Alexandria overlooking a beach on the Mediterranean Sea.-History:Palaces and gardens...
, in Alexandria
See also
- List of Presidents of Egypt
- List of Presidents of Egypt by time in office
- List of rulers of Egypt
- Vice President of EgyptVice President of EgyptThe Vice President of the Arab Republic of Egypt is a senior official within the Egyptian government. The position was created following the establishment of the republic in 1953....