Egypt upper house picks Islamist as speaker
Cairo, 29 Feb – (ANA) - Egypt's Islamist-led upper house of parliament chose a Muslim Brotherhood deputy as its speaker yesterday, cementing the group's dominance in the legislature after elections handed it a majority of seats.
The Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) controls 59 percent of the seats in Shura Council (upper house) and around 43 percent of the lower house, the People's Assembly.Both chambers convene on Saturday to pick a 100-strong assembly to draft the country's new constitution.Ahmed Fahmy, a little-known FJP figure, became upper house speaker. FJP Secretary General Saad el-Katatni was already picked as the lower house speaker. The positions of the two deputies went to members of the parties that came second and third in the votes of both houses, the hardline Islamist Nour Party and Wafd liberal group. "I promise to keep the same distance from everyone - no distinction between the majority and the opposition - supporting democratic practice," said Fahmy after his election. Members of the Shura Council met for the first time yesterday, concluding what was hailed as Egypt's most democratic parliamentary elections since military officers overthrew the king in 1952. The parliamentary votes, which began in late November, are the first since a popular uprising toppled President Hosni Mubarak last February. His National Democratic Party, which long held a tight grip over both houses of parliament, was disbanded. (ANA)

FA/ANA/29 February 2012---------