Global Feminist Daily News Wire
January-23-12

Women Win One Percent of Seats in Egyptian Elections

Final results of the first post-revolutionary parliament elections in Egypt confirm that women have won one percent of the parliamentary seats. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party won 47% of the seats and the conservative Salafist Nour Party won 25% of the seats, according to the Washington Post. Individuals won one third of the seats and the other two thirds were won by parties or coalitions. No women won seats as individuals.

The newly elected parliament will appoint a body to write the new constitution. The Freedom and Justice Party has promised that all of the political factions will be given a voice in the parliament. The elected members expect full legislative power but the ruling generals in the country have also expressed that they intend to influence the drafting of the constitution.

The head of the ruling military council used his executive power to appoint ten of the 508 members of the new parliament. Of these ten, three were women and five were Coptic Christians.

Women played a key role in the Egyptian revolution last year. As recently as December 2011, thousands of women gathered in Cairo as part of the "Million Women March" to protest police brutality towards female protestors in Egypt.

Media Resources: Washington Post 1/21/12; Feminist Daily Newswire 12/22/2011

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