Egypt

How it started

The results of the parliamentary and presidential elections of 2011-2012 did not last. The Supreme Constitutional Court dissolved the newly elected People’s Assembly in June 2012. Then, in July 2013, the Egyptian military ousted President Mohamed Morsi and announced a new transition plan. 

Our Work and Methods

Despite growing challenges, including an increasingly polarized political environment and serious human rights abuses, a small team of Center experts remained in Egypt to assess:

• The constitution-drafting process and preparations for new parliamentary elections
• The broader political process and the text of the new constitution
• The worsening human rights situation and exclusion of key actors from the political process

Impacts

We maintained a presence in Cairo until October 2014, when the highly restrictive political environment and crackdown on civil society organizations prompted us to close our field office there.

How it started 

President Carter’s deep interest in Middle East peace dated back to the Camp David Accords of 1978, a major accomplishment of the Carter administration that led to peace between Egypt and Israel, and continued after he left the White House. Following the January 2011 revolution that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak, the Center established a field office in Cairo to observe the 2011-2012 parliamentary and 2012 presidential elections. 

Our Work and Methods

The Carter Center deployed observers to monitor the following: 

• Three phases of voting in the People’s Assembly elections 
• Shura Council elections 
• Presidential elections, with the mission co-led by President Carter
• Presidential runoff, with the mission co-led by Georgia State Sen. Jason Carter

Impacts

While the parliamentary elections took place in a restrictive environment, our mission found that they broadly represented the will of the people and were a positive step in Egypt’s democratic development. 

The Egyptian people chose their head of state in a direct competitive election for the first time in the country’s history. Restrictions were placed on observers, and our mission was limited to focusing on polling, counting, and tabulation. But despite public uncertainty regarding the transition, the Center found that the electoral process was peaceful and orderly – and marked by a sense of hope.