The Lawyers' Syndicate's elections are kicking off Sunday, with uncertainty surrounding the judicially-supervised process, due to several challenges to its legality.
In the current elections, 26 runners are vying for syndicate chairmanship, while 304 people are running for board membership.
Members from the Muslim Brotherhood, who had won a majority of board seats in 1992, are willingly absent this year. Mohamed Tosson, the organization’s member in charge of the Lawyers' Syndicate's file, said the Brotherhood chose not to run, but rather “leave lawyers to freely select whoever they want to represent them.”
Ibrahim Fekry, a syndicate member, said the Brotherhood’s absence will affect turnout, adding that many lawyers are also preoccupied with the ongoing parliamentary elections.
The most notable candidates for syndicate presidency include incumbent head Sameh Ashour, as well as Montasser al-Zayyat, a prominent lawyer for Islamist factions.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
