Egypt’s Higher Administrative Court has annulled parliamentary election results in 26 districts due to violations, local media reported Sunday, citing Anadolu.
The first phase of elections was held on November 10 and 11 across 14 of Egypt’s 27 governorates to choose members of the House of Representatives. The state news agency MENA said Saturday’s ruling was based on appeals filed by candidates from that phase.
The court ordered to “invalidate the electoral process and void the announcement of results in 26 districts across nine governorates,” MENA reported, without further details.
There was no immediate comment from the National Election Authority (NEA).
On November 18, the NEA had already announced voting would be repeated in 19 districts out of 70 after detecting “fundamental breaches.” The rerun is scheduled for December.
The court’s decision raises the number of invalidated districts to 45 out of 70 - nearly 64 percent of all districts in the first phase.
This marks the first time since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took office in 2014 that either the NEA or the Higher Administrative Court has ordered a rerun of parliamentary voting, Anadolu noted.
The second and final phase of elections was held November 24 and 25 in 73 districts across 13 governorates, with results expected December 2.
The timing of the vote was critical, as it is the last before Sisi’s third and final term ends in 2030. Analysts estimate that Sisi is seeking full control of parliament in order to pass constitutional changes allowing him to remain in power beyond 2030.
Sisi, a former defense minister, led the 2013 military overthrow of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, who was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
He was first elected in 2014 and reelected in 2018 for a second four-year term. Constitutional amendments, passed in a referendum in 2019, added two years to his second term, and allowed him to run for a third, six-year term. He won a third term in elections that were held in December of 2023.