Parliament decided Sunday to suspend all sessions until 6 May to express its rejection of the current Cabinet of Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri.
People’s Assembly Speaker Saad al-Katatny called on the ruling military council to dismiss the Cabinet before next Sunday and form a consensus government that represents all political trends.
However, 170 MPs have signed a memorandum denouncing Katatny's decision to suspend parliamentary sessions. The signers include Salafi MPs from the Nour and Asala parties, Egyptian Social Democratic Party MPs Emad Gad and Ziad Bahaa Eddin, independent MP Amr Hamzawy, and others.
Arguments erupted between some members of Parliament and Katatny over the decision. MP Mostafa Bakry said he considers Parliament, along with the government, responsible for the country’s deteriorating state.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet refused to respond to Parliament’s decision. On Sunday, Ganzouri held a meeting for members of the People’s Assembly and Shura Council representing Beheira, the ministers of planning and international cooperation, electricity, housing, petroleum, transportation, and agriculture, and the governor of Beheira at the Cabinet’s temporary headquarters in Nasr City.
Fayza Abouelnaga, the planning and international cooperation minister, said “communications between the government and Parliament are ongoing despite the no-confidence motion.”
She added that the government does not get involved with political rivalries and is continuing its duties to serve the country.
The meeting is the 10th Ganzouri has held with representatives of different governorates of the People’s Assembly and Shura Council to discuss citizens’ problems and solutions.
Over the past few months, the People’s Assembly has tried to dismiss Ganzouri’s Cabinet, which was appointed in December. The effort began after Ganzouri delivered a statement in February regarding the government’s efforts to resolve problems facing the country.
However, the military council insists that the Cabinet continue its work until the end of the interim period in June. It has also asserted that Parliament does not have the right to dismiss the Cabinet according to the Constitutional Declaration.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
