According to a new draft law on the elections of local councils, workers and farmers are guaranteed a representation of 50% of the total seats in any council.
The cabinet approved Tuesday the final draft for the local administration law, which includes the organisation of the elections of local councils and municipalities. The parliament must review and issue the law.
According to a statement from the cabinet, the highlights of the law are the four-year-term of local councils, elected through an electoral system combining individuals and closed lists.
The combined system was adopted during parliamentary elections, with the majority of the House of Representatives members being elected through the individual system. Politicians widely criticised the electoral system at the time, demanding lesser seats to be allocated to individually elected members, and the adoption of proportional lists, which they argued would enhance the presence of political parties in the competition.
As for the current draft law on the election of local councils, individuals will only represent a quarter of elected seats. Electoral lists must include a percentage of women, youth, Copts, and people with disabilities.
The long-awaited law is necessary for the decentralisation of powers. Local community issues are currently handled by either the government or the parliament.
The new draft law appoints the National Authority of Elections as the organiser of the elections, based on constitutional requirements. However, the authority has not been established yet. Parliamentary elections should also have been handled by that authority but the state had decided to elect a parliament under the temporary Supreme Electoral Commission.
