Egypt has a bicameral legislature, made up of the elected People's Assembly (Maglis al Shaab) and the Advisory Council ( Maglis al Shura). The Advisory Council is a consultative organ, whereas the People's Assembly functions as the main representative law making body. The People' s Assembly elections were held in late 2000 for a five-year term. The People's assembly has a total of 454 seats of which 444 are filled by popular vote, and the remaining ten are appointed by the president. Elections for the upper house of parliament, which only has an advisory role, took place in June 2001. In 1977, a constitutional adjustment was made to allow for the existence of a variety of parties with a wide spectrum of political platforms. Currently, there are more than a dozen recognized opposition parties, some of which have representatives in the People's Assembly. The current ruling party is the National Democratic Party (NDP) and it is headed by the president of the state. The ruling NDP has been in power since 1978. It effectively controls national government, the government-owned media, and state owned enterprises. The NDP now holds 388 seats in the current parliament and the opposition parties and independents hold the remaining seats. The opposition doubled its representation and included a vocal contingent allied to the Muslim Brotherhood, which will be determined to scrutinize government activity more closely than was possible in previous parliaments. The tendency towards a more critical level of debate has already been illustrated by the relatively tough time the government had passing the mortgage and sales tax laws.
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