Opposition politician Haitham al-Hariry, a member of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, has become the latest candidate disqualified from Egypt's 2025 House of Representatives election over his military service status. This ruling, upheld by the Supreme Administrative Court, applies a new interpretation of military service laws not enforced in previous polls. Hariry and his lawyers warn it could bar thousands of Egyptians from political participation.
The Supreme Administrative Court upheld on Thursday the disqualification of Haitham al-Hariry, a former Alexandria MP and member of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, from running in the 2025 House of Representatives election. Hariry, who won a seat in 2015 but lost reelection in 2020, told Mada Masr the ruling strips him of his "constitutional right to run in any future elections without any reason or justification."
This case is part of a broader wave affecting at least six former parliamentarians, including Mohamed Abdel Halim, another SPAP candidate. The National Elections Authority (NEA) also barred Salafi Nour Party candidates from the Senate race: Mohamed Shokry in Cairo, Saber Refad in Marsa Matrouh, Al-Sayed Khalifa in Kafr al-Sheikh, and Ahmed Yehia in Beni Suef.
Disqualifications stem from a new interpretation of military service law, treating ministerial exclusions as equivalent to draft evasion, which bars candidacy. Hariry was excluded on national security grounds due to his father's role as a prominent opposition figure under Hosni Mubarak. Defense lawyer Khaled Ali told Mada Masr the ruling sets a dangerous precedent that violates equality principles and undermines constitutional political rights, potentially punishing opponents.
While some first-instance administrative courts reversed disqualifications, the Supreme Administrative Court overturned them, establishing a binding precedent. The NEA released its preliminary accepted candidates list on July 11 for the Senate election, signaling this shift, which was discussed internally during Judge Ahmed Abboud's 2017-2020 tenure but not adopted then.
The change could exclude thousands from politics, including those exempted for political reasons during Mubarak's era.