Parliamentary elections were held in Egypt on 21 December 1929. The result was a victory for the Wafd Party, which won 216 of the 232 seats. The number of deputies in parliament increased from 211 to 232 after the 1927 census showed an increase in the population.
Background After the 1926 elections the alliance between the Wafd and Liberal Constitutionalists initially held. Soon, however, a political crisis emerged after a draft treaty between the British Foreign Secretary Austen Chamberlain and Egyptian Prime Minister Sarwat Pasha. The treaty was rejected by the Wafd majority parliament, leading to Sarwat's resignation and the formation of a coalition cabinet between the Wafd, led by Mostafa el-Nahas after Saad Zaghloul's death, and the Liberal Constitutionalists. Nahas' first government was short lived after it was dismissed by King Fua'd following a British ultimatum. Specifically, the British objected to an amendment in the Egyptian assembly depriving the police the right to break up public meetings and assemblies.
Following Nahas' government, Mohammed Mahmud of the Liberal Constitutional party became prime minister, forming a coalition between Liberals and Ittihadists. He later dissolved parliament and postponed elections, leading to Wafdist backlash. Mahmud entered into negotiations with the new foreign secretary Arthur Henderson, successfully signed an agreement over the Nile river in 1929. However, the British did not want to sign a final treaty without a government elected by the Egyptian people, thus forcing Mahmud to resign and call for new elections.: The end of the second constitutional crisis came when Britain insisted that the draft treaty in which the Mahmud-Henderson negotiations resulted should be approved by the Egyptian people's representatives. Therefore, under British pressure there was no escape from elections for a new Parliament being held.: Agreements were signed with Great Britain over the Administration of the Nile water in the Sudan, over Egypt’s share in the Ottoman Debt, and over certain financial legacies of the 1914-1918 period. This created an impression in Mahmud Pasha’s mind that he would be able to solve the Anglo-Egyptian problem. But it was a mere wishful thinking on his part to assume that the British Government would be enthusiastic about coming to terms with an unrepresentative regime in Egypt. The British attitude was absolutely clear. Though certain concessions were granted, Britain was not prepared to sign a treaty which would not be ratified by a freely elected Egyptian Parliament. In other words, it was impossible for a Government, not enjoying the support of the Wafd Party, to find an everlasting settlement of the dispute. Mahmud Pasha resigned.: "The British government then decided that Mahmud had better take the treaty terms back to Egypt and put them to a popular vote, that is, Egypt was to return to parliamentary life ... On August 9 Hugh Dalton, the parliamentary undersecretary for foreign affairs, who disliked Mahmud, announced publicly that treaty negotiations were conditioned on a return to constitutional government in Egypt and on no change in the electoral law." Mahmud tried to push for elections with restricted suffrage, where only Egyptians who were literate and paid a certain amount in taxes could vote, while the Wafd pushed for full male suffrage. Ultimately, the British allowed for full male suffrage out of fear of antagonizing the Wafd and endangering the acceptance of any future treaty by the Egyptian people. Elections were held under an interim government by Adly Yakan, leading to a Wafd victory.
Results
Aftermath Nahas would later be unable to secure a treaty with Britain, leading to the collapse of his second government and the emergence of what the historian Marius Deeb calls the "Palace-Sidqi Dictatorship" under the premiership of Ismail Sidky.Deeb (1979) Chapter Four: "The Palace-Sidqi Dictatorship: A Culmination of the Offensive against the Wafd 1930-1935"
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