News Analysis: Egypt elections produce new parliament with no easy majority

Egypt's incoming parliament will find it hard to form majority as individuals have won seats more than those of all the party candidates combined, according to experts.

The new parliament will consist of 596 seats, 448 of which are for individuals, 120 for winners from party-based lists, and the remaining 28 will be appointed by the president.

Egypt's Electoral Supreme Committee said on Friday that 239 seats went to the party candidates, while 316 seats are won by the independent nominees. The rest 13 seats will be contested in the runoffs.

"The parliament needs majority to approve laws, legislation, and for practicing supervision on government," said Ikram Bader el-Din, professor of political studies at Cairo university.

"It's hard to form majority while the parties combined together couldn't create majority, and the independent aren't originated from the same trend," Bader el-Din told Xinhua.

Egypt has been without a parliament for about three years, as the last one elected in late 2011, months after the ouster of long-time leader Hosni Mubarak, was dissolved in June 2012 by a court order.

President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has been holding the legislative authority until the election of a new parliament.

Article 156 of the new constitution states that all the bills issued by the president must be reviewed and approved within 15 days of its first assembly.

Bader el-Din reiterated that a coalition of a group of parties is "a must" to endorse laws.

He considered the elections results reflect the weakness of the parties in Egypt, while the Egyptian voters still advocate the individual system.

Meanwhile, Hussein Abdel Raziq, Secretary General of Tagammu Party, sees that the outcome isn't bad as the elections runs according to individual system and absolute list, which marginalized the parties.

But the new parliament formation is "non-political," which hardens any talks about "part majority or party coalition", he explained.

He added the new parliament, which is expected to be inaugurated later this month, will see coalitions or majority based on interests rather than principals.

He reiterated the legislative chamber will unlikely witness real opposition.

Abdel Raziq predicts the coming parliament will create technocrat party due to "frailty of the winning parties."

However the two experts believes that winning of youth, Coptic, and women with seats that exceeded any previous parliaments, signals change in "the voters balloting behavior."

"The Egyptian voters has proved to have awareness on choosing based on preference and not inherited prejudices," Abdel Raziq added.

Egypt's electoral authorities said Coptic, women, youth who are under 35 years, won 36, 87 and 17 seats respectively.

Bader el-Din also said "it is unprecedented that the youth, women and Coptic won more seats especially in frame of individual system." Endit