The Egyptian Legal System

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I) Introduction Egypt, located on the east side of Africa is divided into two unequal parts by the Nile River, and its territory is mostly desert except for the Valley and Delta of the Nile, the most widespread oasis on earth and one of the most populated areas in Egypt. Even though Cairo remains the largest city in Egypt, Alexandra is still considered the main port of Egypt on the Mediterranean. Egypt is known to be the sixteenth most populous country in the world with a population of 80,300,000 people, according to the 2007 US State Department estimate. Undoubtedly, most of the population is concentrated near the banks of the Nile River which amounts to about 40,000 square km, leaving about 961,450 square kilometers uninhabited. This seems rather logical since most people live near the banks of the Nile (where agriculture is widely spread). The oldest political and administrative systems were established on the sides of the Nile accompanied by Egypt’s first central state. These systems are now used in modern institutions and administrative systems, in the formulation of the constitution, the parliament…etc. Nowadays, Egypt is making history again by creating a new phase of economic development and reform, determining political and democratic authority and practices, developing freedoms and sticking to the rule of law, and respecting human rights. II) The Egyptian Legal System The Egyptian legal system is built on the combination of Islamic (Shariah) law and Napoleonic Code, which was first introduced during Napoleon Bonaparte’s occupation of Egypt and the subsequent education and training of Egyptian jurists in France. The Egyptian legal system, being considered as a civil law system, is based upon a well-established system of codified laws. Egypt’s supreme law is its written constitution. With respect to
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