Egypt parliament opens 1st session since uprising

Muslim Brotherhood's party forms the largest bloc; session follows the country's first free vote in decades.

By REUTERS
Worker prepares Egypt's parliament in Cairo 311 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El-Ghany)
Worker prepares Egypt's parliament in Cairo 311 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El-Ghany)
CAIRO - Egypt's parliament began its first session on Monday since an election put Islamists in charge of the assembly following the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in February.
The session was opened by Mahmoud al-Saqa, 81, a member of the liberal Wafd party who, as the oldest member of the lower house, was acting as speaker. The session began with a moment of silence for those killed in the uprising against Mubarak.
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One of parliament's first tasks is to pick a new speaker, expected to be Mohamed Saad el-Katatni, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, which won the largest number of seats in the election.
The Muslim Brotherhood has vowed to guide Egypt in the transition to civilian rule after generals took charge following the fall of Mubarak to a popular uprising last February.
The rise of the Islamists marks a sea change from Mubarak's era when parliament was a compliant body stuffed with members of his National Democratic Party and the Muslim Brotherhood was officially banned though semi-tolerated.
Generals will remain in charge until after a presidential election in June when they have promised to hand over power, though many Egyptians suspect the army may seek to stay on from behind the scenes even after that.
Although Islamists dominate, it is unclear whether they will form a single bloc in parliament, which will have a key role in drafting the new constitution by picking the 100-strong assembly that will draw up the new document. The Brotherhood has said it wants to be inclusive and ensure all voices in Egypt are heard.
"We will cooperate with everyone: with the political forces inside and outside parliament, with the interim government and with the military council until we reach safety heralded by presidential election," said Essam el-Erian, deputy FJP head.
Youth movements, who put national pride before religion when they galvanized Egyptians in the 18-day revolt against Mubarak, said they would demonstrate outside the assembly to ensure protesters killed in the uprising were not forgotten.
"We do not contest the popular mandate of parliament, but it better deliver on the rights of martyrs and wounded. We fear political parties may vie for political gain and ignore the youth," activist Mohamed Fahmy said.
Liberals were pushed into third place behind the FJP and ultraconservative Islamist Salafis led by the al-Nour party, the surprise runners up. The FJP says it controls almost half the 498 elected seats, with a few re-runs still to be held.
New session revives tradition
Monday's session marks the revival of an assembly that in the early 20th century was a vibrant forum for the nation's aspirations and filled with deputies who vied with the monarch and Egypt's British overlords.
Parliament's independent voice was extinguished after a 1952 coup that toppled the king and swept military-backed autocrats to power. Mubarak was a former air force commander and the ruling military council is now led by Mubarak's defence minister for 20 years, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi.
"The Egyptian military seems at this point determined to carve out an exception to democratic rule for its area of power and interest," Human Rights Watch's executive director Kenneth Roth said on Sunday at the launch of the group's annual report in Cairo. Parliamentarians see the new assembly as bringing Egypt a step closer to ending military rule. "We say that we respect and appreciate the army but the military council must be held accountable for any mistakes ... No one is above accountability," the Brotherhood's general guide, Mohamed Badie, said last week. But the Islamist group has also previously said it does not seek a confrontation with the military. Some analysts have suggested the army will not fully abandon politics unless the Brotherhood and other prominent political parties offer guarantees that it will not face legal retribution over the killing of protesters. Mubarak, 83, is now on trial for his role in the deaths of 850 people during the uprising. Scores of people have been killed in sporadic violence since then, including demonstrations against army rule in November and December. Several youth groups said they would hold protests in front of parliament in central Cairo to ensure the new assembly supports those wounded or families of those killed in protests. A Brotherhood source said its members would form a human chain around parliament to stop any protest turning violent.