Parliament Live Blog

18 hours 41 min ago - Syria

Mohamed Jihad Al Laham, head of the Damascus lawyers's syndicate, has been elected the new speaker of the Syrian parliament.

Laham secured 225 of 250 votes in Thursday's opening session of Syria's new parliament.

Laham is a member of  Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president's, Baath party which has the majority of seats in the 250-member parliament.

Tags Jihad al Laham, parliament
6 days 19 hours ago - Athens

 

Greece's Parliament is being dissolved so new elections can be held on June 17.

The move on Friday comes after an inconclusive election left squabbling politicians unable to form government, deepening the country's political crisis and jeopardising its membership in Europe's joint currency.

In a symbolic move on Thursday, the 300 legislators elected on May 6 were sworn in for just one day.

A caretaker government has been appointed to lead Greece until the new election but it can't make any binding decisions.

The political turmoil comes at a critical time. Greece must make more cutbacks next month to get new funds from its international bailout, which has kept the country afloat since May 2010.

[Source: AP]

Tags eurozone, Greece, parliament
4 weeks 2 days ago - Cairo

 

Egypt's ruling army has approved a law barring top officials from Hosni Mubarak's era running for president, a newspaper website said on Monday, but it may not stop the candidacy of his last prime minister.

It was unclear if the law passed by the Islamist-led parliament would take effect in time to block the presidential bid of Ahmed Shafiq, who was appointed prime minister in the last days of Mubarak's rule and served for a short time after his ouster.

The development adds a further twist to a turbulent period in the run up to the first real presidential race in Egypt's history, marking the final step before the ruling generals hand power to a new president by July 1. Voting starts on May 23-24.

The website of the state newspaper Al-Ahram reported that the ruling military council had ratified the law and "sent its approval to parliament".It did not give a source.

The report noted that if the law was issued before the election committee's announcement on Thursday of the final list of candidates, it would lead to Shafiq's disqualification.

But the report also cited a legal expert who said that after the deadline, the committee's list of eligible candidates could not be challenged, according to rules outlined in the interim constitution. In that case, Shafiq would stay in the race.

[Source: Reuters]

Tags egypt, Elections, law, parliament
8 weeks 4 days ago - Egypt

Retuers reports that Egypt's Coptic Christian community is worried that it might take months for them to get a new pope:

Picking a new pope for Egypt's Orthodox church could take months, officials said on Sunday, allowing debate to gather pace among Christians over the political role the next leader should have as Islamists rise to power.

Pope Shenouda, who died on March 17, led the Coptic Orthodox church for four decades. He acted as the main political advocate for the nation's Christians, who make up about a tenth of Egypt's 80 million people, while Hosni Mubarak was in charge.

Since Mubarak's ousting last year, Christians have become increasingly worried after an upsurge in attacks on churches, which they blame on hardline Islamists, although experts say more local disputes are often also behind them.

Egyptian Christians have been wondering how to make their voices heard when the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists have swept seats in parliament and are poised  to take control over the writing a new constitution.

Tags Coptic, Muslim Brotherhood, parliament
8 weeks 4 days ago - Egypt

 

Egypt's parliament has elected an Islamist-dominated panel to draft a new constitution, and liberal activists are scrambling to block the move, state media said on Sunday.

Thirty-nine of the 50 lawmakers chosen for the 100-member constituent assembly are Islamists, according to press reports, with Islamists also represented among the remaining 50 members drawn from outside parliament.

Liberal lawmakers had walked out on the vote in the joint parliament and senate session on Saturday, accusing the Islamist majority of trying to dominate the crucial panel. [AFP]

Tags constitution, Islamists, parliament
8 weeks 5 days ago - Egypt

 

Egyptian parliamentarians are meeting to name the panel that will draft the country's new constitution amid deep polarisation between liberals and Islamists over the process.

The Saturday meeting is likely to be part of a weeks-long struggle over the charter that will define Egypt's identity.

After the panel writes the constitution, it will be put to a vote in a national referendum.

The old 1971 constitution was abolished after the uprising that overthrew Hosni Mubarak last year.

Liberal judges and activists have filed legal challenges to the decision by the Islamist-dominated parliament to appoint 50 of the 100 council members from their ranks and 50 from outside.

Critics say the Islamist majority intends to control the writing of the constitution. [AP]

Tags constitution, islamist, parliament
11 weeks 5 days ago - Egypt

Legislators asked by ruling military council to draw up a list of 100 people who will draft a new constitution.

Tags Cairo, parliament, SCAF
11 weeks 5 days ago - Egypt
Our Cairo producer Adam Makary sent in these notes from Egypt's first joint parliamentary session: "The head of Egypt's Appeals Court has chosen a new judicial panel to preside of the NGO Trial, led by Judge Makram Awaad, no date has been announced yet. "Parliament to hold a special session on March 11th summoning the Prime Minister Ganzoury and all the ministers involved in the NGO Trial. "Speaker of Parliament Saad el-Katatny calling it a crime in reference to the travel ban being lifted before a verdict was issued."
Tags Cairo, NGO, parliament
12 weeks 2 days ago - Cairo

Egypt's newly elected upper house of parliament is holding its inaugural session, with Islamists dominating the 270-seat chamber.

Tuesday's session of the Shura Council was only attended by the 180 members elected in the popular vote, which was the final stage in Egypt's staggered parliamentary elections.

The ruling military council, which took power after Hosni Mubarak was ousted by a popular uprising a year ago, has yet to appoint the remaining 90 members.

The Shura Council is a largely toothless body and there have been calls for it to be abolished.

Islamists also dominate the lower house of parliament, known as the People's Assembly.

The two chambers will jointly meet later this week to select a panel to draft a new constitution. [AP]

Tags egypt, parliament, session
14 weeks 3 days ago - Egypt

Egyptian state media is reporting that a parliamentary inquiry has blamed police negligence for the Port Said football riots that killed 74 people earlier this month. 

The official al-Ahram newspaper reports that police in the Mediterranean city downplayed the possibility of riots.

"The parliamentary fact finding committee... placed most of the political responsibility on the security apparatus," the paper reported.

The report also said local security failed to properly search attendees for weapons and let in many fans without tickets, ballooning the crowd to almost 17,000.

Tags Football riots, parliament, Port Said

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