Egyptian cabinet may present programme to parliament 27 March

There is still no set date for the Egyptian cabinet to present its programme to the parliament for approval, after conflicting statements from officials this week about the schedule of the key vote.

On Wednesday, Speaker Ali Abdel-Al told the convened House of Representatives that if MPs manage to draft and vote on all parliamentary bylaws by next Monday, the cabinet would present its programme later in the same week.

On Thursday, however, Minister of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Magdy El-Agaty said in statements to the press that the cabinet would programme its programme on 19 March.

He added that the cabinet’s programme is ready, but the parliament has not yet finished drafting its bylaws, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.

Later on the same day, El-Agaty told the press that both Prime Minister Sherif Ismail and Abdel-Al had agreed that the government would present its programme on 27 March.

He added that the delay was due to Abdel-Al’s attendance at a parliamentary conference in Zambia from 18 to 22 March.

Under Egypt’s constitution, the parliament is required to endorse the current cabinet’s agenda. If the programme does not win the chamber’s trust, the party or the coalition with the largest parliamentary bloc must name a new prime minister.

El-Agaty had previously said that the cabinet would present its programme by the end of January, but then backtracked and said it would take place by the end of February, with the delays attributed to the parliament drafting its bylaws.

The current cabinet was named before the current House of Representatives–the first in three-years–was elected late last year.

source: Ahram Online