New MPs were sworn in Sunday during the first procedural session of Egypt’s newly elected House of Representatives.
The session witnessed some disorder when controversial figure PM Mortada Mansour refused to stick to the literal text of the swearing oath.
The session was announced and run by Bahaa El-Din Abu Shoka, the Secretary-General of Al-Wafd Party, and an appointed member of the parliament among 27 others chosen by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on 31 December 2015.
Abu Shoka temporarily administered the session, as he is the eldest member, according to the legal stipulations. Before his appointment, MP Amna Nosseir was believed to become the parliament’s temporary speaker for the same legal reason.
A total of 596 MPs were set to take the oath individually during the first few hours of the session. Abu Shoka announced the absence of some members for personal reasons that prevented them from attending the first session.
During his swearing in, Mortada Mansour engaged in a verbal altercation with Abo Shoka before finally submitting to Abu Shoka’s request to repeat the oath without his “personal additions”.
Other MPs began vocally admonishing Mansour, who claimed “nobody could force him into saying something he does not want to say”.
Abu Shoka threatened to suspend the session to restore order to the session.
MPs will also elect a parliamentary speaker and two deputies on Sunday.
