Politics of Egypt and Sudan

The Monarch of the Kingdom Egypt and Sudan

Main article: The Egypto-Sudanese Monarchy

The head of state and theoretical ultimate source of power in the Kingdom of Egypt and Sudan is the Egypto-Sudanese monarch, currently His Royal Majesty King Ahmad I. The monarch is the titular head of state. HM King Ahmad I as King of Egypt and Sudan is the repository of executive power, which he chooses not to exercise himself. As expressed in the constitution, “the Executive Government and Authority of and over Egypt and Sudan is hereby declared to be completely vested in the King”. The government acts in his name. The term “Crown” is usually used to represent the power of the monarchy. Government ministers are ministers of the Crown. Criminal prosecutions are made by Crown prosecutors in the name of the monarch.

In reality, the King has an essentially ceremonial role, restricted in exercise of power by convention and public opinion, though the monarch does exercise three essential rights, the right to be consulted, the right to advise and the right to warn. The King's function is largely ceremonial, but he does have great influence deriving from the traditional veneration of the Royal House of Khalil--from which Egypto-Sudanese monarchs for more than ten and half centuries have in some way or another ruled; the personal qualities of the King; and His power to appoint the Prime Minister, who forms the Council of Ministers following elections. In addition, both Houses of the Parliament sit "at the King's pleasure," thus, He can dissolve the parliament and dismiss the government shall the King's will be so, a right HM King Ahmad I did not hesitate to use in May 2004 when Egypt and Sudan was stricken by a political crises between the Crown and the then Prime Minister Hussein Sidki, at which His Majesty decided to dissolve the National Assemble and call for early elections where Dr. Sidki’s Social Liberal Democrats Party suffered a great defeat. The King also is seen as playing a symbolic unifying role, representing a common national Egypto-Sudanese identity.

In practical terms, the political head of the country is the Prime Minister who must have the support of the National Assembly. In formal terms, the Crown in Parliament is sovereign. The King is expected to follow the advice of the prime minister, however, several exception have occurred to this convention.

Government Structure

The country's government is based on the principles of ministerial responsibility and parliamentary government. The Federal government comprises three main institutions: the Monarch, the Council of Ministers, and the Parliament. There also are Provincial governments.

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Egypt and Sudan

The Prime Minister is the head of government and active executive authority of the Egypto-Sudanese government. The prime minister is the person who has the confidence of the National Assembly to lead the government. In practice, the position usually goes to the leader of the majority party or coalition in the lower house of parliament and presides over the Council of Ministers.

By the convention, the prime minister and his cabinet may or may not be members of the National Assembly or the Assembly of Nobles but they answer to Parliament for their actions. The prime minister selects ministers to head the various government departments and form a cabinet. The members of the Cabinet remain in office at the pleasure of the prime minister. If the National Assembly passes a motion of no confidence in the government, the prime minister and his cabinet are expected either to resign their offices or to ask the King for Parliament to be dissolved so that a general election can be held. The National Assembly has been disolved by the King in October 2004, therefore Prime Minister Shehab Hosni is now Caretaker Prime Minister with substantially less Political and Constitutional powers.

The Council of Ministers (The Cabinet)

The Government (formally, His Royal Majesty's Federal Government) performs the Executive functions of the Kingdom of Egypt and Sudan. The Monarch appoints a Prime Minister, guided by the strict convention that the Prime Minister should be most likely to be able to form a Government with the support of the National Assembly. The Cabinet plans and implements the government policy. The ministers, collectively and individually, are responsible to the Parliament. The minister may or may not be a member of either houses of the Parliament.

The Council of State

The Council of State is a constitutionally established advisory body to the government which consists of members of the Royal family and Crown-appointed members generally having political, commercial, diplomatic, or military experience. The Council of State must be consulted by the cabinet on proposed legislation before a law is submitted to the parliament. The Council of State also serves as a channel of appeal for citizens against executive branch decisions. The President of the Council of State is HM King Moustafa III Former King of Egypt and Sudan who abdicated in 2001.

The Parliament

The Egypto-Sudanese parliament consists of the monarch and two elected houses, Majilis Al-Uma or the National Assembly (the Lower House) and the Majilis Al-Aayan or the Nobles’ Assembly (Upper House).

In practice, legislative power rests with the party or coalition that has the majority of seats in the National Assembly which is elected for a period not to exceed five years. The prime minister may ask the King to dissolve Parliament and call new elections at any time and the King reserves the right to refuse so.

The National Assembly

The National Assembly is one of the two houses of the bicameral Parliament of Egypt and Sudan. The other is the Nobles’ Assembly.

The National Assembly is the principal legislative body. Its 453 deputies are directly elected for 5-year terms in proportional representation, and all seats are voted on in each election. It is presided over by the Lord High Keeper of the Privy Seal who is the President of the National Assembly. Since the National Assembly was disolved in October 2004 there is currently no Speaker of the Assembly. The term of the National Assembly is at most five years. The King of Egypt and Sudan may dissolve the Assembly (i.e.: call new election).

The National Assembly may cause the resignation of the executive cabinet by voting a motion of censure, which has to be granted Royal Assent before put into action. For this reason, the prime minister and his cabinet are necessarily from the dominant party or coalition in the assembly. While motions of censure are periodically proposed by the opposition following government actions that it deems highly inappropriate, they are purely rhetorical; party discipline ensures that, throughout a parliamentary term, the government is never overthrown by the Assembly.

The Nobles’ Assembly

The Nobles’ Assembly is the Upper House of Parliament made up of at least 123 deputies, who are appointed by the King for life time usually made up of members of the Royal family and nobility. There are currently 209 deputies in the Nobles' Assembly. According to the Egypto-Sudanese Constitution of 1928, the Nobles’ Assembly has almost the same powers as the National Assembly. Both houses must adopt the law before it can be promulgated unless the King sees so unfit.

Because both houses may amend the bill, it may take several readings to reach an agreement between the National Assembly and the Nobles’ Assembly. When the Nobles’ Assembly and the National Assembly cannot agree on a bill, the government can decide, after a complex procedure requiring the Royal Assent, to give the final decision to the National Assembly, which majority is normally on the government's side. This does not happen frequently: most of the time both houses eventually agree on the bill or the government decides to withdraw it. However, this power gives the National Assembly a prominent role in the law-making process.

The Nobles’ Assembly also participates in controlling the government's action by publishing many reports every year on various topics.

The Nobles' Assembly is headed by the Lord High Chancellor, by convention, always a Peer. The position is currently held by Her Royal Highness and Grand Excellency, Princess Iman of Egypt and Sudan, Grand Dutchess of Suez, Lord Chancellor of the Kingdom of Egypt and Sudan and Custodioan of the Grand Royal Seal of State.