In less than twenty minutes, Parliament decided to adjourn its sessions until further notice.
Parliamentary speaker Fathi Sorour indicated that in compliance with article 259 of Parliament's internal regulations, its sessions will be adjourned until the Court of Cassation makes a final decision on the legality of the membership of its deputies. In the words of Sorour, “the Assembly (Parliament) is keen to observe the rule of law and recover confidence in its deputies.”
As a result, Sorour said “the Assembly decided to speed up the process of investigating the legality of the membership of its deputies in terms of discussing the reports which will be sent by the Court of Cassation – Egypt’s highest judicial authority – very soon.”
Amal Othman, chairwoman of Parliament's Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee, indicated two weeks ago that more than 1500 appeals have been filed against the results of the parliamentary elections held last November and December. “These appeals will be sent to the Court of Cassation which is entrusted with article 93 of the constitution with investigating them,” said Othman.
Sorour highly praised what he called the revolution of Egypt’s youth on 25 January, regretting that this revolution was soon exploited by “those who tried to spread chaos, resort to violence, destabilize the nation’s security, and usurp legitimate power.”
Sorour also heaped praise on President Hosni Mubarak’s two speeches on 28 January and 5 February, emphasizing that “Mubarak is Egypt’s legitimally elected president until next September.”
Sorour urged all political forces to give priority to political stability and maintaining the solidity of the internal front. He also indicated that parliament will be ready to discuss the constitutional amendments proposed by President Hosni Mubarak, including articles 76 and 77. “Once we discuss the results of the Cassation Court’s investigation of appeals, we will turn our attention to discussing proposed constitutional amendments,” said Sorour.
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