President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Sunday attended a ceremony organized by the House of Representatives to mark the 150th anniversary of the Egyptian parliament foundation.

The ceremony is attended by 19 speakers of Arab and African parliaments and international parliamentary organizations as well as 15 delegations from various world countries.

Egypt's former president Adly Mansour, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail and Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal are attending the event.
Addressing the gathering, House of Representatives Speaker Ali Abdel Aal urged the participants to observe one minute of silence to mourn MP Amira Refa'at who died in a car accident earlier in the day en route to Sharm el Sheikh to attend the ceremony.

"Today we mark the 150th anniversary of the inception of parliamentary life in Egypt and the establishment of the first parliamentary council with competences in 1866," Abdel Aal said.

Going back to 1919 where the Egyptian revolution broke out calling for freedom and independence, Abdel Aal said the revolution advocated the establishment of a democratic parliamentary life in Egypt.

Based on these demands, the 1923 Constitution was drafted to ensure separation between the different authorities and also cooperation among them. 

The 1923 Constitution made the Cabinet accountable to the parliament, which had the right to move a no confidence vote, while giving the King the right to dissolve parliament that was made up of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.

It also guaranteed the independence of judiciary and respect of rights and duties. 
Egypt, following January 25th and June 30th revolutions, witnessed important political developments and popular action that brought about a new constitution in June 18th, 2014, the parliament speaker said.

The new constitution is based on a multi-party system, individual freedoms, independence of the judiciary, and denouncing sectarianism Abdel Aal said. 

The results of presidential and parliamentary elections came in light of this constitution in order to assert the nature of the current stage and its requirements, he added.

The whole world testified to the fairness and integrity of elections, which was considered an important and historic development in the Egyptian political process, he said.

Abdel Aal also highlighted women empowerment as a main component of the political decision-making.

He said the new Egyptian constitution also empowered youths and those of special needs, the speaker said, noting that 60 MPs are under 35, in addition to 135 others aged between 36 and 45.

Further, many youths were appointed as aides to a number of ministers and governors. 
The Egyptian speaker said Egypt Constitution also guaranteed the youth representation in municipalities which are much closer to the problems of citizens. By finalizing the formation of the House of Representatives, Egypt has succeeded in rebuilding the modern state foundations, he added. 

Despite the gross challenges facing Egypt, both internally and externally, Abdel Aal said, Egypt did not adopt any exceptional measures or delay its role to settle problems at the regional and international levels. Cairo has been working to establish the values of peace and security and fight all forms of violence and terrorism, added the speaker.

Terrorism is one of the biggest challenges impeding the sustainable development plans, he said, pressing the need for amending legislations to enable the state achieve its targets and counter any threats that might endanger its security and stability. 

He also called on all parliamentarians to reconsider the definition of terrorism and determine the legal ways to confront it along with the affirmation on respect of international legitimacy resolutions and avoidance of dual standards.

The Egyptian speaker also reiterated the necessity of combating the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) through the UN supervision, underlining the importance of benefiting from the technological revolution and drawing on its outcome to achieve the development goals.

Concluding his speech, Abdel Aal called for solving the problem of debts that weaken the development march of the developing countries and their aspirations to live honorable lives. He also asked for deepening the role of parliamentary diplomacy in international relations and working on developing the role of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to play more effective role in the international cooperation.
Speaker of the pan-Arab Parliament Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Jarwan hailed Egypt’s significant parliamentary experiment that inspires Arabs in development, counterterrorism and unifying efforts to reach political and security stability.

Addressing the gathering, Jarwan said that the Egyptian political life had witnessed a popular leap especially after the January 25 and June 30 revolutions.

Jarwan added that the Egyptian people, led by its leadership, showed a model in realizing stability in the country, especially the role played by the Egyptian youths and women.

The celebration was also attended by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, 19 heads of Arab and African parliamentary speakers and 15 parliamentary delegations from various countries all over the world. 
Speaker of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) Roger Nkodo Dang said the celebration marking the 150th anniversary of establishing the Egyptian parliamentary life has highlighted the importance of the parliament in the world in general and Egypt in particular on top of the African continent.

Dang said he is proud to take part in the ceremony in the name of the African parliament and extended thanks to President Abdel Fattah El Sisi overhis invitation along with African lawmakers.

Egypt's expertise in the parliamentary life and its celebration today is important not only for Egyptians but for all Africans, the African speaker said.

Egypt has successfully tested all kinds of parliamentary processes for over a century and managed to overcome a lot of difficulties, Dang said.

He called for uniting efforts to confront many challenges namely; terrorism, climate change, illiteracy, illegal immigration, and others which stand in the way of achieving the aspirations of Arab and African peoples.

He said the ratification of Malabo Protocol by PAP helped the parliament to become a legislative body, noting that PAP would open up a new page at this ceremony. He voiced hope that PAP would make an important declaration in the event, inviting participants to attend an African-Arab Summit in Equatorial Guinea. 

Dang said major world powers are seeking to spread terrorism and wars in all countries, adding that Arabs and Africans are in need to return to Africa in order to build a new world free from clashes and disputes. 

He also praised Egypt's efforts at the social level, especially the health sector, as well as the efforts of the Egyptian army which has achieved victories in many battles. He also appreciated the Egyptian government's efforts to upgrade education and health and work on spreading the values of dialogue and tolerance among religions with the aim of achieving peace and development. 
For his part, IPU secretary general Martin Chungong welcomed President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, saying he expressed confidence in Egypt and its leadership to promote democracy.

Chungong said that Egypt has been an effective member of the IPU since joining it, and praised relations between the IPU and Egypt's parliament.

He said the IPU backed Egypt after the January 25 Revolution and continued contacts with Egypt's parliament and in 2013 the IPU was the first international organization to celebrate with the Egyptian people the joy of seeking democracy.

He also said the IPU signed with the Egyptian parliament a technical cooperation agreement due to Egypt's pioneering role in the region. 
SHARM EL SHEIKH, Oct 9 (MENA) - President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Sunday received Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jubouri in Sharm el Sheikh.

During the meeting, Sisi reiterated Egypt's full support for the unity and sovereignty of Iraq over all its territory.

The president also affirmed Egypt's support for all efforts aiming to restore security and stability in Iraq in the face of current challenges and attempts to sow discord and division among the Iraqi people.

Presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef said Jubouri greeted Sisi on the 150 anniversary of the establishment of the Egyptian parliament.

The Iraqi Speaker also hailed the construction and development process that is currently taking place in Egypt in various sectors.

He hailed Egypt's support for Iraq and its pivotal role as a key pillar of security and stability in the Arab world, and supportive of the Arab unity and solidarity.

Jubouri briefed Sisi on the recent developments on the Iraqi arena, especially the ongoing preparations to liberate Mosul from Daesh control.

He affirmed that his country is determined to eliminate terrorism and restore stability, to open the way to move forward for launching the reconstruction process.

Source: MENA