Egypt's parliament on Wednesday adjourned its second legislative season. MPs approved a measure that would task President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi with signing off on the adjournment of parliament's second-term session. Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal told MPs that the measure is in line with Article 274 of parliament's internal bylaws which also state that the president must ask parliament to hold its new annual legislative season before the first Thursday of every October. Abdel-Aal reviewed a report on the achievements of parliament's second legislative season over nine months — or from October 2016 to July 2017. The report said parliament passed a number of highly important legislation in political and socio-economic areas. “We passed laws on investment, facilitating the construction of churches, regulating NGOs, creating a new national electoral commission, fighting illegal migration, and amending the protest and personal litigation laws,” said Abdel-Aal. On Tuesday, parliament passed the state's 2007/2008 budget and socio-economic development plan, and the creation of a national electoral commission to be responsible for supervising elections and referendums in Egypt. Abdel-Aal also said parliament had exercised tight supervision on the government's performance. “Parliament forced the government to change many of its liberal economic policies, taking into account the interests of poor and limited-income classes,” said Abdel-Aal. Parliament adjourned its second session amid heated debate on fuel subsidies and a price hike in commodities. MPs sharply criticised the government of Prime Minister Sherif Ismail for not doing enough to cushion poor and limited-income classes against skyrocketing inflation and food prices. On Wednesday, Ismail told MPs that raising fuel prices last week was part of economic reform measures. “But at the same time we are very keen that wealthy classes foot the bill of any new liberalisation policies,” said Ismail. MPs affiliated with the majority bloc Support Egypt said that before parliament takes its annual summer recess next week, they want to make sure that the government will do everything possible to cushion poor and limited-income citizens against any possible increase in inflation and prices in the summer. The head of the bloc Mohamed Al-Sewidi said the government must ensure that merchants do not use the recent rise in fuel costs to increase the price of food and commodities. “Poor and limited-income brackets will suffer very much if food prices go up again this summer, and the government should have a strategy to deal with this situation and exercise tight control on food markets or face social unrest,” said Al-Sewidi. He said the government should help farmers and workers deal with private sector monopolies. “The government should raise crop delivery prices in order to help farmers meet their increasing living needs, not leave them prey to private merchants, and avoid a rise in food prices in the market,” said Al-Sewidi. “As MPs approved raising fuel prices, they will also do their best to make sure that the income of farmers and workers is boosted to help tackle tough living conditions.” Abdel-Aal said MPs should form supervisory committees in their governorates that would be responsible for monitoring food prices and standing up to greedy merchants and retailers. “This is your duty and you must extend a helping hand to poor citizens as much as possible,” said Abdel-Aal. Osama Al-Abd, head of parliament's Religious Affairs Committee and former head of Al-Azhar University, said he regrets having voted in favour of renewing confidence in Ismail's government. “This government does all it can to make the life of poor classes very hard and leaves us MPs open to criticism in our own districts,” Al-Abd said. In response, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Omar Marawan said the government's policy statement — delivered before parliament on March — “was quite clear on economic reform policies and measures and it was heavily revised by MPs. So why are some putting the blame on the government which is implementing this policy statement?” Marawan asked. Meanwhile, MPs insisted that the Ministry of Electricity must not cut subsidised electricity prices in August. “It would be too much for poor and limited-income citizens to suffer a new hike in electricity prices, as this would come only one month after the hike in fuel prices,” said independent MP Mustafa Bakri. Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker told the Industry and Energy Committee on Monday that the government is keen on ensuring that poor and average-income classes remain immune to any hike in electricity prices. “We are very keen on showing as much mercy as possible towards these vulnerable classes,” said Shaker, adding that “a new cut in electricity subsidies is expected in August and that wealthy classes with high power consumption rates will be the ones who will pay more.” Shaker dismissed reports that a new hike in electricity prices will come upon the demand of the International Monetary Fund. “This is a government strategy rather than an IMF demand, and it aims to reduce the budget deficit because the electricity sector is still plagued with huge subsidies,” said Shaker, adding that “while a citizen pays LE1 for electricity, the government pays LE6.” Shaker said that industrial projects will mostly foot the bill of subsidy cuts. “Household consumption of electricity will still receive huge subsidies that reach LE47.3 billion a year,” Shaker said.
