Cairo: Egypt’s Senate or the second chamber of the parliament today held its first meeting after it was revived in a constitutional vote last year.
Members of the 300-strong house were seen on local TV stations taking the constitutional oath during the procedural session that was chaired by Jalal Haridi, the head of the Nation’s Protectors Party, in his capacity as the oldest member. Haridi is aged 90.
During the session, Abdul Whab Abdul Razeq, an ex-chief judge of the Supreme Court, was elected as head of the Senate.
Two hundred members of the Senate were elected in polls held in August for a five-year term. Days ago, President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi appointed 100 other members, 20 of them are women. The appointees include politicians, media personalities and actors.
Previously named the Shura Council, the second chamber had been scrapped in 2014.
Egyptians will start next week voting to elect the House of Deputies or the lower house of parliament. The legislative elections will be conducted in two rounds in October and November.
