By Mohammad Baali
Albawaba.com - Egypt
The second round of the last phase of Egypt’s Shura Council elections is due to kick off Tuesday, with fewer issues and more tribal loyalties at stake.
Some 38 candidates will compete for 19 seats, after the withdrawal of an independent candidate in favor of a representative of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) in one of the Upper Egypt districts.
The elections, which involve 21 independent candidates and 17 from the NDP, center around family and tribal ties, as opposed to political affiliations.
In Aswan Governorate, a number of candidates are almost certain winners because they belong to the huge Gaafreh tribe, while candidates from other tribes have no prospects of winning.
Furthermore, the opposition parties have not reached the phase of re-elections in a single electoral district, a fact which has dampened the already-weak effects of political propaganda in the Shura elections.
In Kafr Al Sheikh Governorate in the delta, attention is focused on Husam Al Amawi, the younger brother of Labor Minister Ahmed Al Amawi. The elder brother won in the first round of this phase, and if his younger sibling emerges victorious this time around, the two-brother Shura team will be the first in Egypt’s history - Albawaba.com
