- EGYPT
- April 30, 2012
- 3 minutes read
Parliament Suspends Sessions for One Week to Protest Ganzouri Government
The Egyptian lower House of Parliament (the People’s Assembly), on Sunday, suspended its sessions for a week in protest at the current government’s refusal to resign, and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF)’s failure to end the crisis that has gripped the country. The next session is now to be held on May 6, 2012.
Dr. Mohamed Saad Katatni, Speaker of the People’s Assembly (PA), said that the PA did not start no-confidence procedures, as yet, and had several investigations to complete, after the unanimous rejection of the government’s political and economic program.
He pointed out that the PA, in making its decisions, is totally independent from the executive branch, and that the government does not control it, adding that the PA is constitutionally beyond the control of any government.
Dr. Katatni further added that the PA respects the Constitution, the law and judicial decisions, but does not accept threats to dissolve parliament. He affirmed that the Speaker of the PA does not lie, in reference to Dr. Ganzouri’s denial of threatening Dr. Katatni with Parliament dissolution. Dr. Katatni reiterated that Lt Gen Sami Annan was present at the meeting when this threat was made by Ganzouri, stressing that the government is evidently not convinced there is a People’s Assembly that has been freely chosen by popular will in the country’s first fair elections in long decades.
Whilst Parliament does not wish to disrupt its work and suspend discussions of current important issues, it cannot accept that this situation should continue with the incumbent government refusing to respond to the decisions of Parliament, and SCAF failing to intervene by taking the initiative to resolve the crisis at this sensitive stage of the homeland’s democratic transformation.
