The Shura Council (Arabic: مجلس الشورى, "consultative council") is the upper house of Egyptian bicameral Parliament. Its name roughly translates into English as "the Consultative Council". The lower house of parliament is the People's Assembly. In the 2012 draft for a new constitution, they are called "Senate" and "House of Representatives", respectively.
The Shura Council was created in 1980 through a Constitutional Amendment. The Council is composed of 264 members of which 176 members are directly elected and 88 are appointed by the President of the Republic for six-year terms. Membership is rotating, with one half of the Council renewed every three years.
The Shura Council's legislative powers are limited. It chose the members of the Constituent Assembly of Egypt. On most matters of legislation, the People's Assembly retains the last word in the event of a disagreement between the two houses.
A legal challenge concerning the constitutionality of the Shura Council will be looked at on December 2, 2012 by the High Constitutional Court. The court has postponed the verdict in response to protests. Mohamed Morsi's constitutional declaration issued in November 2012 bars the Shura Council from being dissolved by the judiciary.
Read more about Shura Council: Members, Powers, Parliamentary Elections, 2008 Fire
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“There by some wrinkled stones round a leafless tree
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—Allen Tate (1899–1979)