By Omneya Talal The year 2015 witnessed a number achievements for women, the highlight of which was the swearing-in of new female judges and the unprecedented presence of female parliamentarians in the upcoming parliament with 73 elected members. Female Judges In February, the Egyptian judiciary appointed the first female presiding judges after the Supreme Judicial Council approved the appointment of a batch of administrative prosecution members, in addition to State Litigation Authority members, as presiding judges in the Criminal Courts, Courts of First Instance and the Cassation Court. Head of the Supreme Judicial Council Judge Hossam Abdel Raheem stated that female judges would be selected from different judicial bodies and would undergo oral and written exams. The decision excludes appointment in the General Prosecution. Mervat Talawy, the head of the National Council for Women, considered the decision a positive step towards the application of article 11 of the current Egyptian constitution, thus promoting the rule of law and creating an example for other state institutions to follow suit. Article 11 of the constitution, which was approved in a referendum in January 2014, states that the state guarantees women’s “appointment in judicial…
