Egyptian parliamentarians took oath of office on Sunday held its inaugural session on Sunday, signaling the completion of a political road map announced after the 2013 military overthrow of an elected Islamist president.
The assembly, elected in November and December, is the first legislature since el-Sissi, as military chief, led the 2013 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi following mass protests against the Islamist leader and his Muslim Brotherhood. The new parliament replaces one dominated by Islamists that was dissolved by a court ruling in June 2012.
The event which took place inside the House of Representatives building in downtown Cairo was initially scheduled to begin at 9 am Cairo Local Time (CLT) but was 10 minutes late.
The MPS are divided into 448 independents, 120 party-based deputies, and 28 presidential appointees.
Each MP read out the oath: “I swear by Almighty God to loyally uphold the republican system of Egypt, respect the constitution and the law, fully observe the interests of the people, and to safeguard the independence of the nation and integrity and unity of its land.”
Lawyer Bahaaa Abu-Shoka, 77, is the oldest parliamentarian, thus, according to parliament’s law, will be the speaker of the first session until the rest of the MPs elect a speaker and two deputies.
Abu-Shoka was appointed to the House of Representatives by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, as one of the 28 presidential appointees.
Four members apologised for not being able to attend the first parliamentary session. One of the members not present is buisnessman Farag Amer.
The meeting is the first of its kind after the country’s two previous parliaments were dissolved — the first in February 2011 and the second in June 2012 — and after former president Mohamed Morsi was ousted from office in July 2013.