After convening for just two weeks, Egypt's House of Representatives (lower chamber of Parliament) has been grabbing the headlines for good and bad reasons.
The legislature held its first meeting on January 12, bringing together 596 lawmakers, including 28 appointed by the president, for the first time since the elections in October and November of last year.
Farida El Choubachy became the first woman to preside over the Egyptian Parliament's opening session in its two-century history. MPs elected Hanafi al-Gibali as the new speaker of the House. Two other lawmakers, business tycoon Mohamed Abul-Enein and Parliament's former secretary-general Ahmed Saadeddin were elected deputy speakers.
But soon after the inauguration, the Egyptian Parliament found itself embroiled in a series of controversies. One MP accused actors and singers of promoting immorality, while another accused the majority party of bribing voters. As a result, the al-Wafd MP was kicked out of the House and referred to a disciplinary committee.
The House also summoned top government officials, including the prime minister and cabinet ministers to listen to their views on addressing Egypt's problems.
"Parliament has a big responsibility to take into consideration the aspirations of ordinary Egyptians who hope for improved living conditions," Tarek Fahmi, a political science professor at Cairo University, told Majalla. "Ordinary people need jobs and better services."
Egypt's Mostaqbal Watn (Nation's Future) Party, which strongly backs President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, makes up nearly 55 percent parliament, the remaining seats are held the Republican People's party and independents. More than a quarter of the 596 members are women after a record number of female lawmakers were elected in last year's parliamentary polls following the introduction of a new women's quota.
"MPs will do their best to meet voter's expectations," MP Mohamed Safieddine Kharboush told Majalla. "We will use all the tools at our disposal to achieve this."
Parliament grilled the minister of information Osama Heikal on January 19 for failing to revamp state-owned media during his two years in office. MPs said it was unlawful for Heikal, who is also the chairman of the Egyptian Media Production City (EMPC), to simultaneously hold two posts.
"Why should the same man hold two posts at the same time?" Nation's Future MP Ashraf Rashad asked. "Aren't there people qualified to relieve the minister of this heavy burden?"
The MPs also summoned the ministers of education, trade and industry and environmental affairs for discussions on their respective ministries' Plan of Action for the upcoming period.
Parliament has a long list of bills to discuss in the coming days to address some of the nation's pending issues, including a bill regulating relations between landlords and tenants, another on the settlement of marital disputes and a third that introduces amendments to the Investment Law.
On January 17, the House approved amendments to a law regulating a fund that honours military martyrs. The amendments allow the cabinet to add beneficiaries to the fund, other than military personal and police officers.
Four days later, the House approved a renewal of a nationwide state of emergency in effect since October 2014.
These discussions come as Egypt grabbles to contain the pandemic and reports of a potential cabinet reshuffle.
"Parliament's agenda is full of important issues that must be discussed," independent political researcher Mohamed Rabie al-Dehi told Majalla. "Egyptians expect parliament to defend their interests and solve many of their problems, but whether the parliament will meet all these expectations will be become clear in the coming few days."
