Parliament concluded its annual parliamentary session last week with Speaker Hanafi Gebali praising the legislative and supervisory roles it played during the past eight months.

Addressing parliament on 18 July, Gebali said it had spared no effort in exercising its constitutional roles to lay down the integrated legislative infrastructure necessary for the state to achieve its development objectives and meet the aspirations of citizens for a decent life.

Gebali showered praise on parliament’s role as a legislative authority and government watchdog. He told MPs “you were keen to exercise supervision over the government’s performance and you were able to voice the daily problems and hardships facing citizens.”  

During the last eight months, Gebali said, 175 laws dealing with economic, financial, budgetary, social, and political matters were passed. The laws were discussed and approved in 42 plenary sessions, added Gebali.

He also noted that parliament’s 25 committees held 2,327 meetings, conducted 10 field visits, and prepared 651 reports on all aspects of life in Egypt.

Gebali issued a directive ordering the Legislative and Economic Affairs Committee to meet in September to discuss a new law regulating criminal procedures and reflecting Egypt’s international commitments in human rights. At the end of its discussion, the committee is expected to prepare a report on the law to be debated when parliament reconvenes in October, said Gebali, indicating that the new legislation on criminal procedures should limit pretrial detention periods and speed up the settlement of lawsuits in courts.

Ahead of the three-month summer recess, parliament gave the newly-appointed government of Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli a vote of confidence. Gebali said an ad hoc parliamentary committee was tasked with discussing the policy statement delivered by Madbouli on 8 July and recommended that MPs give the government a vote of confidence “for doing a great job”.

Committee head Ahmed Saadeddin said it had summoned 28 cabinet ministers to outline the programmes of their portfolios for the next three years and respond to the concerns of citizens. In its final report, the committee urged the government to adopt a new legislative agenda that will reflect its policy statement’s political, economic, and social priorities, said Saadeddin, adding that “the government should also coordinate with the national dialogue’s administration to reach a new package of reforms.”

A number of MPs, however, voiced sharp criticism of the government’s policy statement, describing it as decorative and rhetorical.

In response, Madbouli said the government respects all MPs, majority and opposition. “This is democracy and we fully understand that many MPs oppose our policies,” said Madbouli, indicating that after his government secured a vote of confidence it would embark on implementing the policy statement which primarily focuses on cutting inflation rates, controlling high prices, boosting development rates and doubling foreign-exchange inflows. “We will submit periodical reports to parliament to keep it informed about progress in implementing the policy statement’s development objectives and targets,” said Madbouli, adding that “the government wanted its policy statement to lay out development programmes until the year 2030, but in light of political and security uncertainties sweeping the world we decided it will cover only three years.”

Economic legislation dominated parliament’s outgoing legislative season. Head of the Economic Committee Mohamed Suleiman indicated most of the economic legislation passed reflected the government’s new policy of boosting the private sector’s contribution to the national economy to 65 per cent. “This was clear in laws that gave the private sector a greater role in establishing insurance companies and managing and operating public hospitals,” Suleiman said.

In April, parliament approved a new law that adopted new standards for regulating the insurance market in Egypt and for attracting private and foreign investments in this sector. The law also gave the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) statutory rights to license foreign insurance and reinsurance companies operating in Egypt against a registration fee of $5,000 and a $1,000 annual renewal fee.

Suleiman said the law streamlines insurance rules in line with international standards and also aims to speed up digitisation and the use of financial technology, all while balancing the interests of policy holders and insurance firms.

The legislation makes insurance mandatory in 21 cases, covering everything from non-banking financial services and student health to marriage. It also introduces insurance against natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, heavy rains, windstorms and epidemics like the coronavirus.

In May, parliament also gave the thumbs up to a new law that will permit the private sector to manage and operate public hospitals and healthcare facilities in Egypt, and improve services offered to citizens.

Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said the legislation was in line with the government’s strategy to attract the private sector to all areas of the economy.

Suleiman said the outgoing session saw parliament also passing legislation that serves limited-income classes and provides social protection to vulnerable citizens. In March, parliament passed legislation that extends the social protection net to give cash subsidies to poor and low-income brackets, orphans, and senior and disabled citizens.

Within the same context, parliament in February gave a final nod to a new consumer protection law that would toughen penalties for merchants who cause harm to the public by hoarding strategic commodities and following monopolistic practices.

Also in February parliament approved the so-called Elderly Rights Care Law which allows Egyptian citizens aged 65 and older access to social, political, health, economic, cultural and recreational rights.

The new law grants comprehensive rights to health, psychological and rehabilitation care for the elderly. It also ensures that they receive a monthly assistance if they do not have a pension.

In financial terms, parliament gave a final nod in March to amendments to the Unified Public Finance Law, obliging MPs to discuss a public government budget for the first time, including the state budget and the budgets of some 40 economic bodies in a first phase and 59 in a second phase.

Parliament also approved long-awaited amendments to legislation that opens the door for reconciliation in construction violations.

The legislation states that citizens can reach reconciliation on construction violations that existed up until the majority of aerial surveysof buildings were conducted by the government on 15 October 2023. The law grants a 25 per cent discount to those who pay complete reconciliation fees or pay in installments over no more than five years. It also legalises construction built on state-owned lands or added to buildings with distinct architectural styles in return for paying reconciliation fees ranging from LE50 to LE2,500.

Several opposition MPs, however, said that the parliamentary session ended without a discussion of several long-awaited economic and political reform bills. An example was a draft labour law which was put on hold for two years. Although approved by the Senate in February 2022, the House decided to refer it back to the government for more consultation after it received criticism from the business community and the Federation of Egyptian Industries.

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* A version of this article appears in print in the 25 July, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly