News Press release

Shoura Council Seizes Women’s Seats in the Parliament and Kicks Women out of the Political Life

attack on journalists
attack on journalists

The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) expresses its deep concern for the Shoura Council’s Legislative Committee endorsement of the Parliamentary electoral law without taking any procedures to enhance women’s participation claiming that this is considered a discrimination against women. The law includes at least one female candidate on each list with no specification to determine its place in the first half of the list.

Thus, the Shoura Council has seized the seats that allocated to women according to the amendment of the Law No 38/1972 of the Peoples’ Assembly Council. This amendment known as “Women’s Quota” and allocated 64 seats for women and according to that the seats of Peoples’ Assembly Council have increased from 444 to 508 seats.

The Military Council had canceled these seats before and provided an alternative seat claiming that it will contribute in making women’s participation reach to 20% which was rejected by all the feminist powers and concerned personals. The results of the 2011 parliament proofed it full mistake whereas the results was a parliament include 9 women who won form the party lists and no women won from the independent candidates as well as two women were appointed. The total number of female parliamentarians was 11 female members out of 508 members with a percentage that did not exceed 2% and this is the parliament that came after a revolution which women participated strongly in for a better life and fair representation.

In Egypt, Women demanded to apply the equality and justice, which was one of the most important demands of the revolution which is including women in the lists of 50% and in sequence or with a minimum of 35% at the electoral lists with making sure of its representation at the forefront of the lists. However, the Shoura Council insisted not to respond to the demands of women in Egypt. As per the claim that this is discrimination, it is untrue claim to justify seizing women’s seats and kick them out of the parliament although they didn’t go back to the original number of the seats which is 444 seats. It is a continuation to approach of the ruling regime to exclude women and targeting to not participate. It is also an abuse of the concept of equality and use it in its misplaced, because the state is responsible for achieving the equality at a level of results confirm women’s participation in decision making and not just coming up with slogans to shirk responsibility.

It is also contrary to the Egyptian Constitution which emphasized on the need for doing a balance in the population representation. If women represent around 50% of population, it is important to be represented in the lists with a percentage 50% in order to achieve a balance of population and the principle of equality. It is also contrary to all international conventions which were signed by Egypt especially the Convention of Eleminaion All Forms of Discrimination Against Women that sates in the Article 4 that: 1. Adoption by States Parties of temporary special measures aimed at accelerating de facto equality between men and women shall not be considered discrimination as defined in the present Convention, but shall in no way entail as a consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate standards; these measures shall be discontinued when the objectives of equality of opportunity and treatment have been achieved.

It is also raises serious doubts about the future of women in Egypt in the light of tailoring laws in the Shoura Council where its legitimacy is doubtful and it is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and in a light of targeting all laws related to women to be discussed in a parliament is being tailored to fit the ruling regime and kick women out of it.

Therefore, ECWR demands all the civil powers that believe in democracy to reject this law that is being endorsed by the Shoura Council and reject this law that is contradicting all the principles of the revolution and the most important principle is Justice and equality