Establishment of the Shoura Assembly

In the Referendum which took place on 19 April 1979, one of the issues which the people agreed upon was the establishment of the Shoura Assembly.

Jurisdiction of the Shoura Assembly

The jurisdiction of the Shoura Assembly is defined in Articles (194) & (195) of the Constitution. According to Article (194) of the Constitution, the Shoura Assembly is concerned with the study and proposal of what it deems necessary to preserve the principles of the 23 July, 1952 Revolution and the 15 May, 1971 Revolution, to consolidate national unity and social peace, to protect the Alliance of the people's working forces and socialist gains as well as the basic constituents of the society, its supreme values, its rights and public freedom and duties, and to deepen the democratic socialist system and widen its scope.

The Formation of the Shoura Assembly

Article 196 of the Constitution defines the way by which the Shoura Assembly is formed, by stipulating that: "the Shoura Assembly is composed of a number of members, that defined by law, and this number should not be less than 132 members. Two thirds of the Assembly members shall be elected by direct secret public balloting, half of whom at least must be workers and the peasants. The president of the Republic shall appoint the other third.