Προφίλ συναλλασσόμενης χώρας Αίγυπτος

Political outline | Living conditions | Useful resources | Communications

Political outline

Executive Power: The president is the head of state. He is elected by universal suffrage for a 6-year term of office (no limit for extension). He appoints the Prime Minister who must be approved by a confidence vote in the parliament. The President also appoints the head of the Council of Ministers. He can dissolve the Assembly and rule by decree. He holds almost total power.
Legislative Power: The legislative power is bicameral. The Parliament is formed by the People's Assembly (the lower house) which has 454 members (of which 444 are elected by universal suffrage and 10 are nominated by the President for a 5-year term) and the Advisory Council (the upper house) which plays only an advisory role and which has 264 members (of which 176 are elected by universal suffrage and 88 appointed by the president for a 6-year term). The president can dissolve the People's Assembly only if he has the support of the people during a referendum.
Main political parties: The multi-party system was restored in 1976 by the then president Sadate. However, in practice it is the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) which completely dominates the political arena. The Muslim brothers, a brotherhood created in 1928 by Hassan El Banna is the main opposition party of the country. They were banned but in spite of it, they were able to win 88 seats in the People's Assembly in the 2005 elections. The other opposition parties like Wafd, El-Ghad or the Nasserian Party are minority parties and were nearly wiped out in the 2005 elections.
Current political leaders: Vice-President: Vacant (constitution suspended since 13 February 2011)
Prime Minister: Kamal Ganzouri (since 24 November 2011)
Next election dates: People's Assembly: November-December 2015
Advisory Council: in 2013

Living conditions

Health and safety

Health precautions

A certificate of vaccination against yellow fever is required for travelers over one year old coming from affected areas.

The risk of Bird Flu is high.

Generally speaking, health and hygiene conditions are not very good and so it is best to avoid eating less cooked or raw food (especially meat and eggs), drinking tap water and eating raw vegetables. Likewise, it can be difficult for persons suffering from respiratory diseases to bear the atmospheric pollution in Cairo.
Bathing in freshwater exposes you to the risk of bilharziasis (or schistosomiasis) present in the Nile river valley and delta.

You are advised against bathing unless you get reliable opinion on the spot. Hepatitis A and B are common and it is wise to be vaccinated. For long stays, expatriation or stays in rural areas, vaccines against rabies and typhoid are recommended. A very high rate of Hepatitis C has been noticed. Skin piercing, barbers or hairdressers which are very popular must be avoided at all costs.

International hospitals

Given the precarious conditions of public hospitals, it is better to go to international hospitals or in certain private clinics. Having said that, the use of English is widespread (doctors almost always speak it), in all hospitals. For example the As-salam international hospital in Cairo is recommended.

For further information on sanitary conditions

Recommendations of the World Health Organization on Egypt.

For further information on safety conditions

US Department of State

Contact your Embassy

Embassy of Greece in Egypt
18, Eisha Al Taymouria strGarden City
Cairo
Phone: 00202-7950443 / 7955915 / 7951074
Fax: 00202-7963903
grembcai@internetegypt.com/

Emergency numbers

Police	122
Tourist police	126
Ambulance	123
Maritime police	33 54 22 82

Time difference and climate

Time and time difference: It is %T:%M %A in Cairo (GMT+2 in winter, GMT+3 in summer)
Summer time period: Summer time from April to September.

Map of the time zone

Type of climate: The warm season extends from May to September and the cold season from November to March. The temperatures vary from 14°C to 37°C and are between 6°C and 46°C in desert regions.

For further information: Egyptian Meteorological Department's website

Average annual temperatures and rainfall

Useful resources

To find an accommodation: Pensionhotel Destinia Hotels.com Egypt Travel, Egyptian Tourism Bureau's website
Egypt Sites, directory of accommodations in Egypt
To find an apartment: Homelidays

El Waseet: online newspaper of small advertisements in English and Arabic
To find a job: Jobs in Egypt
Arabo Egypt: advertisement site
American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt
Egyrec.com

Communications

Telephone codes: To make a call from Egypt to Greece: dial 00 (or +) 30
To make a call to in Egypt from Greece: dial 00 (or +) +20
Mobile telephone standards: GSM
Internet suffix: .eg

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General Information