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Africa North
Islamists tighten grip on Egypt's Shura Council
2012-12-26
[Al Ahram] The Islamist-dominated upper house of parliament (Shura Council) is due to hold two procedural meetings on Wednesday in preparation for a new parliamentary season after assuming legislative power for the first time in 32 years.

The Shura Council, which was protected from dissolution by a controversial presidential decree last month, will have the legislative authority until a new lower house of parliament is elected within two months after 64% of Egyptians approved the new constitution, according to unofficial results.
The Council was set up by late president Anwar El-Sadat in1980 as a consultative body. It also had control over state-owned press organizations.

The first opening meeting will see 90 members -- officially appointed by Islamist president Mohamed Morsi -- take the constitutional oath. The Council's speaker Ahmed Fahmi, a member of the Moslem Brüderbund's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and a relative of President Morsi, will deliver a speech which will be followed by a statement from Prime Minister Hisham Qandil on the country's deteriorating economic conditions.

There has been much speculation recently over whether Qandil's government will be fired or just reshuffled. Rumours are rife that the government will be forced to resign to make way for a new cabinet headed by business tycoon and influential Brotherhood leader Khairat El-Shater.

A number of senior FJP officials, such as Essam El-Erian, have repeatedly criticised Qandil's government and openly called for the appointment of El-Shater as a new prime minister to take charge of implementing Morsi's so-called "Nahda" (Renaissance) project.
Posted by:Fred

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