General Coordinator of Egypt s National Dialogue Diaa Rashwan. Photo courtesy of the National Dialogue official Facebook Page
According to the second paragraph of Article 140 of the Constitution, the procedures for electing the president of the republic must commence at least 120 days before the end of the presidential term. Additionally, the announcement of the election results must be made at least 30 days prior to the conclusion of this period.
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi was elected on 2 April 2018 and his term expires on 2 April 2024, Rashwan said, noting that this means it is crucial that the procedures of the candidacy and the announcement regarding the presidential election dates take place before 3 December.
Any timeframe beyond that would be invalid, he said.
Rashwan's clarification comes in light of the controversy circulated, especially outside Egypt, alleging that an "early presidential election" would take place.
It is not an early election, but a constitutionally mandated process, the dialogue’s general coordinator observed.
For his part, the dialogue's Secretary-General Mahmoud Fawzi said some people think that the term of the presidency ends on 30 June, and this is contrary to the Egyptian constitution.
Those who talk about early elections, Rashwan said, do not understand what they are saying and talk about something that is not mentioned in the constitution.
“The constitution regulates all of this. The world knows only two systems of government: the presidential and the parliamentary. With the parliamentary system, which is based on the majority, early elections can be organized. The presidential system, which Egypt is closer to, does not have early elections. Rather, the take place according to a specific date,” Rashwan elaborated.
However, the Egyptian constitution allows early presidential elections in only a specific case. According to Article 161, if the House of Representatives withdraws confidence from the president, early presidential elections can be held following the filing of a reasoned motion that is signed by at least the majority of the members of the House of Representatives and upon approval of two- thirds of its members.
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