Egypt Senate Elections Scheduled for August

Egypt will hold Senate elections in August. (Getty Images)
Egypt will hold Senate elections in August. (Getty Images)
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Egypt Senate Elections Scheduled for August

Egypt will hold Senate elections in August. (Getty Images)
Egypt will hold Senate elections in August. (Getty Images)

Egypt’s National Elections Authority (NEA) unveiled on Sunday the final names of candidates running for Senate, kicking off electoral campaigns of nominees ahead of the vote, which was set for August.

The campaigns will run until August 8.

Egyptian expatriates will begin voting on August 9. Expatriates will be required to register their names on the NEA website after which they will receive a passcode to use in the elections after receiving their paper ballot in the mail. Eligible voters have until the end of the month to register.

Two-thirds of the 300-member Senate will be elected by a direct ballot, while the rest will be appointed by the president. They are elected to a five-year term.

The elections in Egypt will be held on August 11 and 12 and the results will be announced a week later in the official gazette.

Runoff elections for Egyptians living abroad is scheduled for September 6 and 7, while the domestic runoff will be held on September 8 and 9. Final results will be announced on September 16 at the latest.

Head of the NEA Lashin Ibrahim said candidates have until July 28 to withdraw their nomination.

Ibrahim said 912 candidates submitted their candidacies, 150 of which were dismissed because they did not meet the requirements.



US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
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US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)

Recent statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his willingness to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to normalize relations between the two countries have sparked mixed reactions.
While the Syrian opposition sees the possibility of such a meeting despite the challenges, Damascus views the statements as a political maneuver by the Turks. Meanwhile, the United States has tied the normalization process to achieving a political solution in Syria based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, issued in 2015.
Turkish media reported on Thursday that a US administration official, who was not named, confirmed that Washington is against normalizing relations with the Syrian regime under Assad. He emphasized that Washington cannot accept normalizing ties with Damascus without progress toward a political solution that ends the conflicts in Syria.
Meanwhile, the head of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, Hadi al-Bahra, stated that a meeting between Assad and Erdogan is possible despite the obstacles. In a statement to Reuters on Thursday, Bahra said the meeting is feasible, even though Ankara is fully aware that the Assad regime cannot currently meet its demands and understands the regime’s limitations.
Bahra pointed out that the UN-led political process remains frozen and that he had briefed US and Western officials on the latest developments in the Syrian file. On Saturday, Bahra participated in a consultative meeting in Ankara with the Syrian Negotiation Commission, along with a high-level delegation from the US State Department, during which they exchanged views on the political solution and the need to establish binding mechanisms for implementing international resolutions related to the Syrian issue.
On the other side, Assad’s special advisor, Bouthaina Shaaban, dismissed Erdogan’s announcement that Ankara is awaiting a response from Damascus regarding his meeting with Assad for normalization as another political maneuver with ulterior motives.
Shaaban, speaking during a lecture at the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was reported by Turkish media on Thursday, stated that any rapprochement between the two countries is contingent on its withdrawal of forces from Syrian territory.