Minister of Local Development, Hisham al-Sharif, said the elections cannot be held unless new regulations on decentralization are set – Photo compiled by Egypt Today/Mohamed ZainCAIRO – 1 November 2017: Reports have been spreading over the likelihood of holding the local council (municipalities) elections on time. The government has allocated nearly LE 1 billion ($56.6 million) in the budget of fiscal year 2017/18 for local council elections.Members of the House of Representatives believe that municipalities elections will inevitably be delayed. "The draft law still needs a lot of work before it is finalized and ready for approval," argued Segeny.He also maintained that the 156-article draft law aims to decentralize and democratize municipalities. The government has not deliberately delayed municipalities elections, said Segeny.Local councils were dismantled by a decree from the Administrative Court on June 28, 2011. Municipal elections are held in different governorates in Egypt, where candidates affiliated to different political parties compete in the elections.

Source: Egypt Today October 31, 2017 22:41 UTC