THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN EGYPT
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIRS I have just seen, in the Spectator of February 14th, a letter, signed " Egyptian Official," which contains two mistakes of fact.
(a) It is said that the power of the Government (or rather, of the King ) to place officials on the retired list is derived from the new Constitution. This is not so. The Council of Ministers has long had this power by law ; and the only relevant provision of the Constitution is to the effect that " Le Roi . . . nomme et licensie les fonctionnaires dam les conditions determines par la loi." So there is no change.
(b) It is stated that the parliament was brought into exis- tence under an electoral law which provided for indirect election ; and that the new Ministry has embarked upon the experiment of direct suffrage. This is incorrect. The Parlia7 ment of 1924 was, it is true, chosen by indirect election ; but Zaghlul repealed the election law under which he had come into power, and introduced a system of direct election. When the new Ministry came into office they reversed this innovation, by the procedure of " Decret-Loi," and restored, with minor changes, the original system. I may add that the indirect system, as described by your correspondent, was originally introduced in 1913, under Lord Kitchener.—I am, Sir, &e.,
February 28th, 1925. ANOTHER EGYPTIAN OFFICIAL.
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