President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said Sunday the election last year of Egypt’s highly-representative parliament marked a new stage in Egypt’s parliamentary life.

Addressing the ceremony on the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Egyptian parliament, Sisi condoled with the family of MP Amira Refaat who was killed in a road accident earlier in the day.

Parliamentary life over decades mirrored political, economic, and social development, President Sisi said, adding that the Egyptian parliament witnessed major developments since its establishment in the 19th century.

Parliamentary life in Egypt, as in any country, reflects the partisan life in a way that clarifies how its political experience had developed, Sisi said.

Youths are represented in the parliament by 40 percent and women by 90 representatives, the president highlighted.

Egyptian expatriates and those with special needs are also represented for the first time in the parliament’s history, the president said, noting that the aim was to guarantee that all social brackets were represented and taking part in the process of decision-making as a way to meet their aspirations for a new stage in the Egyptian political life.

The House of Representatives began its activities earlier this year as unprecedented political and economic challenges were ahead, Sisi said.

In compliance with the constitution, the parliament had to pass a number of laws within a limited time-frame, he added, lauding the parliament’s performance.

Furthermore, the parliament also discussed and passed a number of laws that aimed at enhancing the development ”wheel,” achieving social justice and entrenching citizenship values, he added.

President Sisi voiced belief that the parliament would continue to play its effective role involving hard decisions to take with regard to preserving the country’s security, boosting the economy and supporting the issues of education, health, youths, women and low-income brackets.

Source: MENA