movement and residence, and the right to freely participate in the administration of public affairs in the country, as detailed in the relevant texts. In order to ensure that its citizens enjoy these rights, Egypt has taken the following measures: 1. National legislation contained provisions calling for full respect for Egypt's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and related articles of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. In accordance with this, Law No. 40 of 1977 on the Political Parties Regime was amended in 2011, whereby the formation of parties is announced by straightforward notification, as affirmed in article 74 of the 2014 Constitution. The formation of the concerned committee became restricted to the judges, not including members of the executive branch, and it is not permissible to dissolve any party except by a judicial ruling. This has increased the number of political parties to 93. With the promulgation of the Law on the Regulation of Political Rights No. 45 and the House of Representatives Law No. 46 of 2014, the rules, procedures and regulations of the electoral process have been reformulated to ensure greater transparency and impartiality in accordance with international standards. 2. At the end of 2015, the final prerogative of the political road map was completed with the holding of free and fair elections for the House of Representatives. These elections were witnessed by many representatives of many NGOs, international organizations and foreign embassies. The turnout was remarkably high both at home and abroad. At the age of 18, citizens are automatically registered on the electoral rolls. These elections resulted in the appointment of 90 women to the Council, with 39 of the members aged under 35, nine members with disabilities and eight Egyptians abroad. 3. In pursuit of democratic reform, and in compliance with the 2014 Constitution, which for the first time stipulated the establishment of an independent national authority to run all elections or referenda, Law No. 198 of 2017 established the National Electoral Commission, making it an independent body technically, financially and administratively. It is exclusively responsible for conducting referendums and presidential, parliamentary and local elections, from the preparation and supervision of voters' databases to the announcement of results, through voter education and awareness. The National Electoral Commission defines campaign regulations, and rules for funding and electoral spending, as well as being responsible for election 32