Shura Council

For the Islamist group, see Mujahideen Shura Council. For the Saudi legislature, see Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia.

The Shura Council (, Egyptian Arabic: ) is the upper house of Egyptian bicameral Parliament. Its name roughly translates into English as "the Consultative Council". The lower house of parliament is the People's Assembly.

The Shura Council was created in 1980 through a Constitutional Amendment. The Council is composed of 264 members of which 174 members are directly elected and 88 are appointed by the President of the Republic for six-year terms. Membership is rotating, with one half of the Council renewed every three years.

The Shura Council's legislative powers are limited. On most matters of legislation, the People's Assembly retains the last word in the event of a disagreement between the two houses.

Members

The Shura Council must be made up of 264 members, two thirds of the council (176) is elected by a direct ballot, and half of the Council must be farmers or workers, the remaining third (88) is appointed by the President of the Republic.

Term of membership and activities

The term membership of the Shura Council is six years. However, renewed election and appointment of 50% of the total number of members is required every three years, and it is always possible to re-elect or re-appoint those members whose membership has expired.The Constitution has provided many guarantees whereby the Council is able to carry out its tasks and...
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