Egypt held parliamentary elections in late 2025, with the Nation's Future Party emerging as the dominant force in the House of Representatives and the National List of Egypt Coalition in the Senate. Women's representation declined slightly in both chambers, with female MPs making up 25.7% of the lower house and 10.7% of the Senate.
The Arab Republic of Egypt held elections for the House of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nuwab) from 10 November to 18 December 2025. The Nation’s Future Party obtained 227 (almost 40%) of the 568 seats up for election, thus becoming the largest party in the House of Representatives. Independent candidates secured 103 seats. The polls for the lower house follow the Senate elections held from 4 to 28 August 2025. The National List of Egypt Coalition won over 175 out of the 200 senatorial seats at stake.
The elections were held amid a looming economic crisis due to inflation and war in the neighbouring Gaza. The election period was marked by growing public frustration with the ruling regime led by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. President El-Sisi came into power in 2013 following a military coup and the ousting of the previous regime led by President Mohammed Morsi.
Women’s Political Participation
In both houses of the Egyptian parliament, women’s representation declined slightly following the 2025 elections. 146 (25.7%) women were elected to the House of Representatives in 2025, compared to 148 (26.2%) in 2020. The lower house also consists of appointed members. In 2025 and 2020, 14 women were appointed. Thus, women’s representation in the House of Representatives dropped from 162 in 2020 to 160 in 2025.
In the Senate, the percentage of women elected in 2025 remained the same as in 2020, at 20%, while the percentage of appointed members decreased from 20 in 2020 to 12 in 2025. Consequently, women’s representation in the Senate declined from 40 (13.3%) in 2020 to 32 (10.7%) in 2025.
Following the 2025 elections, both chambers are still dominated by male representatives, comprising 89.3% (268 seats) in the Senate and 73.1% (436 seats) in the House of Representatives. The presidential nominations were still male-dominated, with 88 seats (88%) awarded to men and 12 to women. The current cabinet representation is notably low, with only 4 women ministers out of 30.
Although the presidency remains a glass ceiling yet to be broken, women have made historic progress in the fight for equal representation and a stronger voice in governance. The late Nawal El Saadawi became the first woman to announce a presidential bid in 2005. She later withdrew her candidacy, citing constitutional amendments that made it impossible for a viable candidate to contest. She, however, pledged to continue in her resolve to free Egypt from the oppressive and corrupt regime led by former president Hosni Mubarak.
In 2012, Bothaina Kamel was the first female candidate to contest for president. Ms Kamel had been vocal in championing good governance and criticising the government’s shortcomings. She campaigned under the slogan “For the Sake of Women”, but was unable to secure the 30,000 signatures required to register for the ballot.
In 2023, Gameela Ismail announced her candidacy for the presidency as head of the Constitution Party of Egypt. Her campaign stressed the need for change from the current regime. She withdrew from the race shortly after her party’s general assembly voted against her nomination.
Notable female leaders elected into the parliament in the recent elections include Phoebe Fawzy Girgis. Ms Girgis was elected under the leftist Republican People’s Party. Ms Girgis was re-elected as the Ismailia governorate, making history as the first Coptic female deputy speaker of the senate in 2020. Dr Sahar Nasr, former minister of Investment International Co-operation, was 1 of 12 women appointed to the Senate. With an academic background in Economics, Dr Nasr made strides in enhancing the business environment and investment climate in her ministerial role. Abla El-Hawary, elected to the House of Representatives, has served in both legislative chambers. Ms El-Hawary became the first woman in Egypt’s history to lead the inaugural parliamentary session in January 2026, when she oversaw the swearing in of 596 members and the election of the new speaker. Her previous ministerial roles related to health and housing affairs addressed the quintessential needs of vulnerable groups and social welfare.
Legislative and policy reforms on women’s rights
Egypt has established a legislative framework to promote women's political representation in both chambers of parliament. At the constitutional level, Article 102 of the 2014 Constitution (amended 2019) mandates that at least one quarter of seats in the House of Representatives be allocated to women. Electoral law reinforces and elaborates on this guarantee. For the lower house, Law No. 46 of 2014 establishes a 568-member House of Representatives and upholds the 25% minimum threshold for women. The President may also appoint up to 5% of the total elected membership, with at least half of those appointees required to be women. For the upper house, the Senate Law of 2020 sets a lower quota of at least 10% women across its 300 seats, with list requirements stipulating that lists of 15 seats include at least 3 women and lists of 35 seats include at least 7.
The country has also adopted legal reforms and policy measures to strengthen women’s rights and gender equality. On harmful practices, Egypt’s Penal Code criminalised female genital mutilation (FGM) in 2008, with a minimum custodial sentence of 3 months and a maximum of 2 years or a 1000 - 5000 Egyptian pounds(LE) fine. In 2021, the Penal Code was amended to introduce jail terms of up to 20 years for perpetrators of FGM. The 2016 amendments to the Civil Service Law increased maternity leave from 3 to 4 months.
Egypt has implemented significant measures to advance women's rights and gender equality. In 2017, the country adopted the National Strategy for Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030, a comprehensive framework addressing four key pillars: political, economic, and social empowerment, as well as protection. At the institutional level, the Ministry of Education revised the national curriculum to incorporate principles of gender equality and highlight the vital role of women in society. At the governmental level, the National Council for Women in Egypt (NCW) serves as the primary body responsible for empowering women and advancing their standing across social, economic, and political spheres. The NCW plays an active role in policy formulation, combating violence against women, and mainstreaming gender perspectives into national development planning.
Conclusion
In the 2025 parliamentary elections in Egypt, the Nation’s Future Party secured the most seats in the House of Representatives while National List of Egypt Coalition became the largest party in the Senate.
Egyptian women’s representation in both houses of parliament diminished following the 2025 elections. The percentage of women elected to the House of Representatives decreased from 26.2% in 2020 to 25.7% in 2025, while in the Senate the percentage of women elected held steady at 20%. The number of appointed women remained the same in the House of Representatives, while it dropped from 20 to 12 in the Senate.
Egypt has established the legal and institutional frameworks to tackle gender inequality, however, a significant gap remains between policy and practice and women face system barriers to the political participation and representation. Although the quota targets have been met, they are low and Egyptian women remain underrepresented.
While barriers persist and challenges remain, Egyptian women are advocating for stronger women's rights, driving change and inspiring other women. Among inspiring Egyptian women to take action are the female presidential candidates and women in leadership positions in the House of Representatives. Civil society and women's rights organisations such as the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights (ECWR) play a key role in this movement, offering free legal counseling, pushing for legislative reform aligned with international conventions like CEDAW, and working to increase women's participation in political and economic life.