(AFP File Photo)
The incoming Egyptian parliament will consist of 630 members, up from 454 members in the 2012 parliament elected under ousted president Mohamed Morsi, legal committee spokesman Mohamed Fawzy announced Sunday.
The legal committee was created by Interim President Adly Mansour via presidential decree on 14 April to amend laws in preparation for the coming parliamentary elections, including the Political Participation Law.
The next parliament, also referred to as the House of Representatives, will be comprised of 600 elected representatives along with an additional 30 representatives—5% more—appointed by the president as per the 2014 constitution, reported Reuters-operated news site Aswat Masriya.
Article 102 of the constitution adopted last January states that the House of Representatives will consist of at least 450 members, and allows the president to appoint no more than 5% of the members. Representatives will be appointed for a five year term.
The 2014 constitution eliminated the upper house of parliament, the Shura Council, and created a unicameral legislature. In former constitutions, the 270 members of the Shura Council held six year terms, while the 508 members of the House of Representatives were elected for five year terms. One hundred eighty members of the Shura Council were directly elected, while the remaining 90 were appointed by the president.
“The additional seats [above the 450 person minimum] will better represent the people, and replace some of the seats lost with the dissolution of the Shura Council,” said constitutional expert Ra’fat Fouda.
Egypt has completely lacked a legislative branch since a presidential decree by interim President Adly Mansour dissolved the Shura Council on 5 July of last year. The House of Representatives was disbanded on 22 September 2012 after rulings by the High Constitutional Court and the Supreme Administrative Court declared it invalid.
According to the roadmap set forth by the military-backed interim government, parliamentary elections will take place after the presidential elections, which are slated to take place on 26 and 27 May.
