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Sunday 29 January 2012 - 13:55

Egyptians vote in upper house elections

Story Code : 134015
Egyptians vote in upper house elections
The first round of elections is to be held over a two-day period in 13 provinces across the country, while the second round for the nation's remaining 14 provinces is scheduled for February.

In the lower house of parliament, the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) secured the biggest share of seats, and is seeking a second victory in the upper house.

Although the power of the upper house is limited and it cannot block legislation, its members (Shura Council) must be consulted before a bill is passed by lower house lawmakers.

"The Shura council elections are as important as the People's Assembly (lower house) elections," Hussein Ibrahim, a member of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party said.

Both houses are responsible for picking an assembly that will write a new constitution.

Last week, the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Saad al-Katatni was elected as speaker of the parliament.

On January 25, Egyptians marked the first anniversary of their country's popular revolution, which eventually led to the ouster of dictator Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.

Since the ouster of Mubarak, who is currently on trial for ordering a deadly crackdown on demonstrators, Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has been ruling Egypt despite repeated calls by disgruntled people who have been demanding civilian rule.
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