Egyptian political forces and election experts criticized holding elections for the People's Assembly and the Shura Council in different sessions, arguing that it prolongs the transitional period, and the amount of time Egypt goes without a president. Other groups said the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Supreme Committee for Elections prolonged the parliamentary elections as a response to the demands of the Judiciary, who said they would be unable to supervise the both elections at once. Elections for the People's Assembly would be in November and December while elections for the Shura Council elections are planned for January. Mamdouh Hamza, Secretary-General of the National Council, said that the fact that the Supreme Council of the Armed forces would not listen to political groups' demands reveals a lot about its attitude towards them, and that conducting multi-stage elections under the unstable security situation is not a wise idea. Political expert Wahid Abdel Meguid said that the idea of separating the People's Assembly's elections from the Shura Council's elections, means prolonging the transitional period. Abdul Ghaffar Shukr, head of the People's Alliance Party, said that the delay is merely a response to the demands of the judiciary.
