Egypt - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Egypt, it was the English name "Egypt" derives from the ancient Greek name for the country "Aigyptos"; the Arabic name "Misr" can be traced to the ancient Akkadian "misru" meaning border or frontier. The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 27 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazat); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah (Alexandria), Al Isma'iliyah (Ismailia), Al Jizah (Giza), Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah (Cairo), Al Qalyubiyah, Al Uqsur (Luxor), Al Wadi al Jadid (New Valley), As Suways (Suez), Ash Sharqiyah, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id (Port Said), Dumyat (Damietta), Janub Sina' (South Sinai), Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina' (North Sinai), Suhaj
National symbols
Golden eagle, white lotus; national colors: red, white, black.
The flag
The National flag of Egypt has three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side with a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white).
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note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band; Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band; and Yemen, which has a plain white band
The National Anthem
| Title | "Bilady, Bilady, Bilady" (My Homeland, My Homeland, My Homeland) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Younis-al QADI/Sayed DARWISH |
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note: adopted 1979; the current anthem, less militaristic than the previous one, was created after the signing of the 1979 peace treaty with Israel; Sayed DARWISH, commonly considered the father of modern Egyptian music, composed the anthem
More about the government of Egypt
| Date of Independence | 28 February 1922 (from UK protectorate status; the military-led revolution that began on 23 July 1952 led to a republic being declared on 18 June 1953 and all British troops withdrawn on 18 June 1956); note - it was ca. 3200 B.C. that the Two Lands of Upper (southern) and Lower (northern) Egypt were first united politically |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Revolution Day, 23 July (1952) |
| Legal system | mixed legal system based on Napoleonic civil and penal law, Islamic religious law, and vestiges of colonial-era laws; judicial review of the constitutionality of laws by the Supreme Constitutional Court |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Constitution | |
| History | Several previous; latest approved by a constitutional committee in December 2013, approved by referendum held on 14-15 January 2014, ratified by interim president on 19 January 2014 |
| Amendments | Proposed by the president of the republic or by one fifth of the House of Representatives members; a decision to accept the proposal requires majority vote by House members; passage of amendment requires a two-thirds majority vote by House members and passage by majority vote in a referendum; articles of reelection of the president and principles of freedom are not amendable unless the amendment "brings more guarantees;" amended 2019 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | if the father was born in Egypt |
| Dual citizenship recognized | only with prior permission from the government |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 10 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Abdel Fattah EL-SISI (since 8 June 2014) |
| Head of government | Prime Minister Mostafa MADBOULY (since 7 June 2018) |
| Cabinet | Cabinet ministers nominated by the executive branch and approved by the House of Representatives |
| Elections/appointments | president elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 6-year term (eligible for 3 consecutive terms); election last held on 10 to 12 December 2023; next to held in 2029); prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of Representatives |
| Election results | 2023: Abdel Fattah EL-SISI reelected president in first round; percent of valid votes cast - Abdel Fattah EL-SISI (independent) 89.6%, Hazam OMAR (Republican People’s Party) 4.5%, Farid ZAHRAN (Egyptian Social Democratic Party 4%, Abdel-Samad YAMAMA 1.9% 2018: Abdelfattah ELSISI reelected president in first round; percent of valid votes cast - Abdelfattah ELSISI (independent) 97.1%, Moussa Mostafa MOUSSA (El Ghad Party) 2.9%; note - more than 7% of ballots cast were deemed invalid |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Bicameral Parliament consists of: Senate or Majlis Al-Shiyoukh (300 seats; 100 members directly elected in single seat constituencies, 100 directly elected by closed party-list vote, and 100 appointed by the president; note - the upper house, previously the Shura Council, was eliminated in the 2014 constitution, reestablished as the Senate, following passage in a 2019 constitutional referendum and approved by the House of Representatives in June 2020 House of Representatives or Majlis Al-Nowaab (596 seats; 448 members directly elected by individual candidacy system, 120 members - with quotas for women, youth, Christians and workers - elected in party-list constituencies by simple majority popular vote, and 28 members appointed by the president; members of both houses serve 5-year terms |
| Elections | Senate - first round held on 11-12 August 2020 (9-10 August for diaspora); second round held on 8-9 September (6-7 September for diaspora) (next to be held in 2025) House of Representatives - last held 24-25 October and 7-8 November 2020) (next to be held in 2025) |
| Election results | Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Nation's Future Party 100, independent 100; composition - men 258, women 41, percent of women 13.7% House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Nation's Future Party 316, Republican People's Party 50, New Wafd Party 26, Homeland Defenders Party 23, Modern Egypt Party 11, Reform and Development Party 9, Al-Nour Party 7, Egyptian Conference Party 7, Egyptian Freedom Party 7, Egyptian Social Democratic Party 7, Tagammu 6, Justice Party 2, Etradet Geel Party 1, independent 124; composition - men 428, women 164, percent of women 27.5%; total Parliament percent of women 23% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) (consists of the court president and 10 justices); the SCC serves as the final court of arbitration on the constitutionality of laws and conflicts between lower courts regarding jurisdiction and rulings; Court of Cassation (CC) (consists of the court president and 550 judges organized in circuits with cases heard by panels of 5 judges); the CC is the highest appeals body for civil and criminal cases, also known as "ordinary justices"; Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) (consists of the court president and NA judges and organized in circuits with cases heard by panels of 5 judges); the SAC is the highest court of the State Council |
| Judge selection and term of office | Under the 2014 constitution, all judges and justices selected and appointed by the Supreme Judiciary Council and approved as a formality by the president of the Republic; judges appointed for life; under the 2019 amendments, the president has the power to appoint heads of judiciary authorities and courts, the prosecutor general, and the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court |
| Subordinate courts | Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; courts of limited jurisdiction; Family Court (established in 2004) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Motaz Mounir ZAHRAN (since 17 September 2020) |
| Chancery | 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 895-5400 |
| FAX | (202) 244-4319 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://www.egyptembassy.net/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Herro MUSTAFA GARG (since 15 November 2023) |
| Embassy | 5 Tawfik Diab St., Garden City, Cairo |
| Mailing address | 7700 Cairo Place, Washington DC 20512-7700 |
| Telephone | [20-2] 2797-3300 |
| FAX | [20-2] 2797-3200 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://eg.usembassy.gov/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Alexandria |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 7 (6 cultural, 1 natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Memphis and its Necropolis (c); Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis (c); Nubian Monuments (c); Saint Catherine Area (c); Abu Mena (c); Historic Cairo (c); Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley) (n) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Egypt
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Egypt
Want to know more about Egypt? Check all different factbooks for Egypt below.
