Screenshot from State TV of MP Tawfek Okasha addressing the first parliament session on Sunday 10 January, 2016
Egypt's parliament summoned independent MP and TV anchor Tawfik Okasha for questioning on Tuesday after forming a committee to investigate his scuffle with parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Al, who expelled Okasha from the meeting hall on Monday.
Abdel-Al received the approval of MPs to expel Okasha from parliament's meeting hall after he refused to stop interrupting him.
Okasha accused Abdel-Al of stripping him of the right to take the floor.
"Although I submitted requests to take the floor several times today and yesterday, you still insist on ignoring them," said Okasha.
Okasha ridiculed Abdel-Al when he ordered him to stay silent and respect parliamentary rules, telling him "the problem is that you were not the right man for this post."
He strongly attacked the election of Abdel-Al as speaker of Egypt's new parliament last January.
Okasha described Abdel-Al as an autocratic person and that his election represented an extension of the authoritarian policies of former president Hosni Mubarak's ruling party.
Okasha has tried several times to take the floor in parliament since January, but in vain.
At one time, Okasha decided to stay in the nearby Pharaonic lobby, putting tape over his mouth as an expression of anger with Abdel-Al for not allowing him to take the floor.
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