El-Katatni of the Muslim Brotherhood greets other members of parliament in Cairo (Photo: Reuters)
The People's Assembly (the lower house of Egypt's parliament) will practice its full legislative and regulatory responsibilities as soon as it holds its next meeting, which is expected to be held "within hours," assembly speaker Saad El-Katatni declared in a statement issued early Sunday evening.
El-Katatni's declaration came after a surprise presidential decree issued by Egypt's newly-inaugurated President Mohamed Morsi on Sunday afternoon calling for the reinstatement of parliament's dissolved lower house.
Morsi's decree essentially revoked the military council's mid-June decision to dissolve the People's Assembly following a High Constitutional Court (HCC) ruling that deemed an elections law – which governed last year's legislative polls – unconstitutional.
El-Katatni, who is also a leading member of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, welcomed the president's decision.
"The presidential resolution emphasises respect for the rule of law and the [democratic functioning] of state institutions," El-Katatni said in a short press statement.
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