Legislative branch:
bicameral system consists of the People's Assembly or Majlis
al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote, 10 appointed by
the president; members serve five-year terms) and the Advisory
Council or Majlis al-Shura - which functions only in a consultative
role (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88 appointed by the
president; members serve six-year terms)
elections: People's Assembly - three-phase voting - last held 19
October, 29 October, 8 November 2000 (next to be held NA
October-November 2005); Advisory Council - last held May-June 2004
(next to be held May-June 2007)
election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - NA; Advisory Council - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - NA
Judicial branch:
Supreme Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders:
Nasserist Arab Democratic Party or Nasserists [Dia' al-din DAWUD];
National Democratic Party or NDP [President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK]
- governing party; National Progressive Unionist Grouping or Tagammu
[Rifaat EL-SAID]; New Wafd Party or NWP [No'man GOMA]; Socialist
Liberal Party or Al-Ahrar [Hilmi SALIM]; Tomorrow Party or Al-Ghad
[Ayman NOUR]
note: formation of political parties must be approved by the
government
Political pressure groups and leaders:
despite a constitutional ban against religious-based parties, the
technically illegal Muslim Brotherhood constitutes MUBARAK's
potentially most significant political opposition; MUBARAK tolerated
limited political activity by the Brotherhood for his first two
terms, but moved more aggressively since then to block its
influence; civic society groups are sanctioned, but constrained in
practical terms; trade unions and professional associations are
officially sanctioned
International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU, EBRD,
FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory),
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS
(observer), OIC, ONUB, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador M. Nabil FAHMY
chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 244-4319
telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador C. David WELCH
embassy: 8 Kamal El Din Salah St., Garden City, Cairo
mailing address: Unit 64900, Box 15, APO AE 09839-4900
telephone: [20] (2) 797-3300
FAX: [20] (2) 797-3200
Flag description:
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; design is
based on the Arab Liberation flag and similar to the flag of Syria,
which has two green stars, Iraq, which has three green stars (plus
an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white
band, and Yemen, which has a plain white band
Economy Egypt
Economy - overview:
Lack of substantial progress on economic reform since the mid 1990s
has limited foreign direct investment in Egypt and kept annual GDP
growth in the range of 2-3 percent in 2001-03. Egyptian officials in
late 2003 and early 2004 proposed new privatization and customs
reform measures, but the government is likely to pursue these
initiatives cautiously and gradually to avoid a public backlash over
potential inflation or layoffs associated with the reforms. Monetary
pressures on an overvalued Egyptian pound led the government to
float the currency in January 2003, leading to a sharp drop in its
value and consequent inflationary pressure. The existence of a black
market for hard currency is evidence that the government continues
to influence the official exchange rate offered in banks. In
September 2003, Egyptian officials increased subsidies on basic
foodstuffs, helping to calm a frustrated public but widening an
already deep budget deficit. Egypt's balance-of-payments position
was not hurt by the war in Iraq in 2003, as tourism and Suez Canal
revenues fared well. The development of an export market for natural
gas is a bright spot for future growth prospects, but improvement in
the capital-intensive hydrocarbons sector does little to reduce
Egypt's persistent unemployment.