The Kingdom of Egypt 281
electoral law was gingered up and gerrymandered so as
to keep Zaglulism as long as possible out of power. The
original two stage election by primaries proposed in the
Constitution, but abandoned in the original electoral law,
was restored. Property and educational qualifications
for males under thirty were added so as to diminish the
vote of the young Nationalists. But all in vain, for the
Nationalist factions simply refused to participate in elec-
tions under this "decreed" electoral law. The village
Omdehs refused to put it into force, and judicial action
against them failed of its effect. The new law was
accordingly abandoned, and the elections were held
under the original act.
These elections, which did not pass off without some
rioting and loss of life, returned Zaglul with a huge
majority (200 to 14), the Wafd faction alone number-
ing two-thirds of the Chamber. The question then arose
whether Zaglul could take office and the onus of co-
operating with the British without splitting his party and
spoiling his own position in the country. On the other
hand, could he take office and oppose the British with-
out risking the restoration of the Protectorate and mar-
tial law, or, at best, a return to Palace government by
decree? Zaglul was reluctant to accept either alterna-
tive, but was eventually decided in taking office by his
party being acquitted of complicity in the assassination
campaign. For now the two Wafdists, Mahmoud
Nekrashi and Ahmed Maher, were acquitted of com-
plicity in the conspiracy, for which one of the seven
accused, Mohamed Fehmy Ali, was condemned to
death. This satisfactory result relieved Zaglul of the risk
of a possible reprisal by the British, should a faction
under suspicion of complicity in the Sirdar's murder take
office. The new High Commissioner, who was still in