1931 Egyptian parliamentary election

none March 2025 Kingdom of Egypt Parliamentary 1929 Egyptian parliamentary election 1929 1936 Egyptian parliamentary election 1936 1 June 1931 130x130px Isma'il Sidqi 1932.jpg Ismail Sidky People's Party 84 58.01% Muhammad Tawfiq Nasim Pasha.PNG Mohamed Tawfik Naseem Pasha Ittihad Party 40 23.75% Prime Minister Subsequent Prime Minister Ismail Sidky Ismail Sidky People's Party People's Party Parliamentary elections were held in Egypt on 1 June 1931.Khatib 1954 171 They were the only elections held under the 1930 constitution, a more autocratic constitution that had replaced the 1923 constitution. The elections were boycotted by the Liberal Constitutional Party and the Wafd Party. Although they resulted in a victory for Ismail Sidky's newly formed People's Party, a political crisis led to the restoration of the 1923 constitution in 1935 and the Wafd's victory in the 1936 elections. Background After the resignation of Mostafa el-Nahas' Wafd government in 1930, King Fuad appointed Ismail Sidky prime minister on 20 June 1930.Deeb 1979 240Marsot 1977 139 His first act was to prorogue parliament for a month. In response, the Wafd Party held a national congress to defend the constitution and adopt a policy of non-cooperation with the government by refusing the pay taxes until parliament was restored.Deeb 1979 240Quraishi 1967 115 While the Liberal Constitutionalists had issues with the parliament, they were also against drawing up a new constitution and ultimately withdrew their support from the government when Sidky promulgated a new constitution on 22 October. The new document increased the powers of the king, including increasing the number of senators appointed by the monarch from two-fifths to three-fifths of the Senate. Electoral system A new electoral law was adopted that made parliamentary elections indirect; fifty voters elected an elector, who then voted for candidates. The first stage elections were held in May on the 14th, 16th, and 18th for the electors who then voted in the second stage on 1 June.https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.6820/page/n59/mode/2up Political Handbook and Atlas of the World, Parliaments, Parties and Press as of January 1, 1932 Council on Foreign Relations 1932 Mallory Walter H. 53–54 The voting age was increased from 21 to 25, while property and educational requirements for electors were increased. The Chamber of Deputies was reduced from 232 to 150 members.Quraishi 1967 113 note 5 The most egregious part of the law was the ban on 'liberal' workers outside of Cairo from running. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, merchants and journalists – professions typically associated with Wafdist and Liberal Constitutionalists supporters – in the countryside were barred from running, while conservative government-appointed village elites and sheikhs could run.Marsot 1977 143–144 As a result, the Wafd and Liberal Constitutionalists agreed to boycott the elections, signing a joint pact on 31 March calling for a return of the 1923 system.Quraishi 1967 115 Results The elections that took place were marked with violence and corruption.Lybyer Albert Howe Albert Howe Lybyer 1931 Election Disorders in Egypt Current History (1916-1940) 34 4 633–637 2641-080X 45338570 During a clash with police on 14 May the Red Crescent reported 262 wounded and 40 killed.Marsot 1977 156 In some cases, people voted multiple times. Qena had a 97 turnout, Jirja 98 percent, and the province of Aswan had a turnout of 105 percent.Marsot 1977 156 As one American Mission doctor in Faiyum put it, the elections were "an absolute farce in all particulars... whole villages were simply deserted lest they be gathered in by force and required to vote... and that cooking the lists was done in practically every booth."Deeb 1979 291 note 154 The Political Handbook and Atlas of the World gives the seat results in the Chamber of Deputies as 84 for the People's Party, 39 Ittihadists, 8 Nationalists, 16 independents and 3 vacant. In the senate elections on 11 June 1931, the results were 35 for the People's Party, 25 Ittihadists, 1 Nationalist, 37 independents, and one vacant seat. The Royal Institute of International Affairs gives similar figures: 83 People's Party seats, 38 Ittihadists, 17 independents and 8 Nationalists."Great Britain and Egypt, 1914-1951", (1952) Royal Institute of International Affairs, pg 30Habib 1964 127 File: Egypt Parliament 1931.svg People's Party 25286 84 Ittihad Party 10351 40 National Party 1904 8 Other partiesDespite the boycott, one Wafdist and three Liberal Constitutionalists participated in the electionKhatib 1954 488 277 0 Independents 5768 18 43706 45794 KhatibKhatib 1954 486–488 #50f6de Aftermath Parliament sat on 20 June 1931 and was dissolved on 30 November 1934.Khatib 1954 171 Notes References Sources Deeb Marius Party Politics in Egypt: the Wafd & its Rivals 1919–1939 Ithaca Press 1979 9780903729406 Habib Henry P. A Case Study in Egyptian Conservatism: Ismail Sidky 1964 McGill University https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/downloads/xd07gx30f?locale=en Khatib M.F The working of parliamentary institutions in Egypt, 1924-1952 1954 University of Edinburgh https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/34029 Marsot Afaf Lutfi Al-Sayyid Egypt’s Liberal Experiment: 1922–1936 University of California Press 1977 9780520031098 Quraishi Zaheer M. https://archive.org/details/liberalnationali0000qura Liberal Nationalism in Egypt; Rise and Fall of the Wafd Party Jamal Printing Press 1967 9780861990009 Terry Janice J. The Wafd: Cornerstone of Egyptian Political Power Third World Centre for Research and Publishing 1982 9780861990009 Egypt Egypt Category:Parliamentary elections in Egypt Parliamentary Category:June 1931 in Africa Category:June 1931 in Asia