A law-laden session

  • Date: 13-Jan-2021
  • Source: Ahram
  • Sector:Economy
  • Country:Egypt
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A law-laden session

MPs gathered in a plenary session on Tuesday to elect a speaker and two deputies. Supported by the majority Mostaqbal Watan (Future of the Homeland) Party, Hanafi Ali Gibali, a former chairman of the Supreme Constitutional Court (2018-19), won the post to become the 51th speaker of parliament.



Ali Abdel-Aal, speaker of the 2015-20 parliament, did not stand for re-election.



Businessman Mohamed Abul-Enein and parliament's former secretary-general Ahmed Saadeddin were elected deputy speakers.



On Wednesday, a second procedural session to announce candidates for leading posts on the House of Representatives' 25 committees was scheduled to be held. MPs must elect a chairman, two deputies, and one secretary-general for each committee



Informed sources say Alaa Abed, a former police officer and head of the outgoing parliament's Human Rights Committee, is expected to be selected a majority leader in the new parliament.



The pro-government Mostaqbal Watan Party swept Egypt's 2020 parliamentary elections, gaining 316 seats (54 per cent). Mostaqbal Watan also won a majority in the newly-elected Senate.



Mostaqbal Watan leaders are likely to be chosen to chair the bulk of committees. According to party member Mustafa Bakri, a journalist, "Ashraf Rashad, deputy chairman