The Government in Egypt

Egypt is a democratic republic. The Egyptian Constitution provides for a strong executive. Authority is vested in an elected president who can appoint one or more vice presidents, a prime minister, and a cabinet. Egypt's legislative body, the People's Assembly, has 454 members, of whom 444 are popularly elected and 10 are appointed by the president. The constitution reserves 50% of the assembly seats for "workers and peasants."

There also is a 264-member Shura (consultative) Council, in which 88 members are appointed and 174 elected for 6-year terms. Below the national level, authority is exercised by and through governors and mayors appointed by the central government and by popularly elected local councils.

Power is concentrated in the hands of the President and the National Democratic Party majority in the People's Assembly and those institutions dominate the political system.

Muhammad Hosni Mubarak is the Prime Minister of Egypt and its longest-serving ruler since Muhammad Ali. He is also one of the longest-serving leaders in the Arab world.