The Egyptian electoral law allocated 56 parliamentary seats to women in addition to 14 others appointed by the president, ensuring that 70 women would reach the parliament. The law allows women to compete for all individual seats in order to guarantee them proper representation in parliament.

As a result, in the first round of parliamentary elections held on Oct. 17 and 18 outside Egypt and on Oct. 19 and 20 within the country, women succeeded in winning five individual seats in addition to the 28 gained through their inclusion on electoral lists.

In spite of this progress, Egyptian women face many difficulties that hinder them from reaching senior state positions, including the cultural machismo, clan ethnocentrism and social mores and traditions that rule a great number of Egyptians.

Ambassador Mervat Tallawy had been at the forefront of the movement to defend women’s rights in Egypt. She was one of the first women to enter the diplomatic corps and the first female diplomat to reach the position of ambassador. Tallawy was appointed Undersecretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia from 2001 to 2007, making her the first Arab woman to hold that post. Her efforts in this field continued, and she was later appointed president of the National Council for Women.