The 2025 Egyptian Senate elections have reached their final day, having officially begun on Monday, 4 August. From a pool of 428 candidates, Egyptians get to select their representatives for the upcoming Senate session from 9 AM to 9 PM over the course of two days. With 8,286 polling stations nationwide, the elections are overseen by 9,500 judges, including 2,500 women.
During the elections, the National Elections Authority (NEA) introduced ballots in sign language and Braille to allow for more accessibility for visually and hearing-impaired voters.
In Heliopolis, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi participated in the elections, casting his vote at a polling station.
Preliminary results will be announced on 12 August, and if a runoff is necessary, campaigning will resume the same day, with appeals to be resolved by the Supreme Administrative Court by 24 August.
However, the elections have also been overshadowed by tragedy. The NEA reported that three people died on the first day of voting.
Among the deceased was the principal of a school in Abu Kabir, who passed away while on duty, along with a female voter in Fayoum and a polling station secretary, both of whom suffered heart attacks, as confirmed by Ahmed Bendary, the NEA’s executive director.
Reinstated through the 2019 constitutional referendum, Egypt’s Senate serves as the upper house of Parliament, replacing the former Shura Council, which was dissolved in 2014.
Consisting of 300 members, the Senate is a mix of elected and appointed individuals, with at least 10 percent of the seats reserved for women to ensure gender representation.
While it holds an advisory role rather than legislative power, the Senate contributes to shaping public policy and reviewing legislation before it reaches the House of Representatives.
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