1926 Egyptian parliamentary election

1926 Egyptian parliamentary election

←  1925 24 May 1926 1929  →

First party Second party Third party   Leader Saad Zaghloul Adly Yakan Pasha Mohamed Tawfik Naseem Pasha Party Wafd Liberal Constitutional Ittihad Seats won 171 29 1 Percentage 68% 19% 0.5%

Prime Minister before election Ahmed Zeiwar Pasha Independent Subsequent Prime Minister Adly Yakan Pasha Liberal Constitutional

Parliamentary elections were held in Egypt on 22 May 1926. ^[1] The result was a victory for the Wafd Party, which won 171 of the 211 seats. ^{[2] [a]}

The ruling Ittihad Party led by Prime Minister Ahmed Ziwar Pasha and Minister of Finance Yahya Ibrahim Pasha, while clinging to power, was too weak to carry out an effective campaign. It failed to nominate more than 66 candidates, less than the seats won by the Wafdists. ^[3]

Background

After the 1925 election, where a Wafdist majority parliament was dissolved by King Fuad in less than half a day, the Liberal Constitutional Party sought rapprochement with the Wafd Party. ^[4] On 14 January 1926, an executive committee representing the Watani (National) Party, the Wafd and the Liberal Constitutionalists was set up to discuss their response to the King and Ahmed Zeiwar's government. The Watanists wanted the return on the 1925 parliament and a boycott of any future election, while the Wafdists and Liberals wanted new elections. However, when new elections were held on 22 May, the committee urged its voters to participate. ^[5] These elections were the first held under newly relaxed financial requirements for voters, significantly increasing voter turnout compared to the previous election. ^[6]

The British government under Lord Lloyd involved themselves in the cabinet process, refusing to accept Zaghloul as premier. In a meeting between Lloyd and Zaghloul on 30 May, Zaghloul told him were he to become premier, he would select Adly and Tharwat for posts in his cabinet. When Lloyd objected, Zaghloul told him "Vous pouvez vous renseigner" - French for "come and find out". ^[7] When the meeting broke down, Lloyd used gunboat diplomacy, sending HMS Resolute to Alexandria on 2 June. In the end, Zaghloul acquiesced, citing health reasons. ^[8]

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Wafd Party	771,737	67.98	171
	Liberal Constitutional Party (Egypt)	216,025	19.03	29
	National Party (Egypt)	22,136	1.95	5
	Ittihad Party	70,643	6.22	1
	Independents	54,723	4.82	5
Total		1,135,264	100.00	211
Source: M.F Khatib (1954) Appendix II Table II

Notes

1. Deeb (1979) gives different numbers: 45 to the Liberal Constitutionalists, 9 to the Watanists, and 160 to the Wafd (pp. 138–139). Marsot (1977) gives the numbers as Wafd 144, Liberal Constitutionalists 28, Watanists 5, Ittihad 7 and 17 Independents (p. 89). Quraishi (1967) cites Khatib in the Appendix yet on page 102 says that the Wafd got 156 seats out of 214. Terry (1982) gives the numbers the same numbers as Khatib except for the Watani party, which she gives 29 seats (p. 188). Khatib's numbers were used because they were the most complete, giving both seats and raw vote totals.

References

1. M.F Khatib (1954) "The working of parliamentary institutions in Egypt, 1924-1952", page 171 Table "Length of Term of Egyptian Parliaments"
2. M.F Khatib (1954) "The working of parliamentary institutions in Egypt, 1924-1952", Appendix II Table II
3. Labib Rizk, Younan (1975). Youssef, Hassan (ed.). تاريخ الوزارات المصرية ١٨٧٨ - ١٩٥٣[History of Egyptian Cabinets 1878-1953] (in Arabic). p. 296.
4. Deeb 1979, p. 137"The Liberals had thus learnt that in spite of all the inadequacies of the Constitution, and fear of the Wafdist majority, it was still a lesser evil than the King's tyranny."
5. Deeb 1979, pp. 137–138.
6. Quraishi (1967) Appendix C "The Wafd Party In General Elections" page 232 note 4
7. Marsot 1977, p. 92.
8. Terry 1982, pp. 189–190.

Sources

• Deeb, Marius (1979). Party Politics in Egypt: the Wafd & its Rivals 1919–1939. Ithaca Press. ISBN   9780903729406.
• Khatib, M.F (1954). The working of parliamentary institutions in Egypt, 1924-1952 (Thesis). University of Edinburgh.
• Marsot, Afaf Lutfi Al-Sayyid (1977). Egypt’s Liberal Experiment: 1922–1936. University of California Press. ISBN   9780520031098.
• Quraishi, Zaheer M. (1967). Liberal Nationalism in Egypt; Rise and Fall of the Wafd Party. Jamal Printing Press. ISBN   9780861990009.
• Terry, Janice J. (1982). The Wafd: Cornerstone of Egyptian Political Power. Publisher: Third World Centre for Research and Publishing. ISBN   9780861990009.