CAIRO: Egyptian member of Parliament Saad al-Katatny won the vote to become the first head of the new Parliament after garnering 399 votes, beating Essam Soltan, who received 87 votes. Katatny was the General Deputy of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, and has had to turn down his position with the party after winning the election and becoming a member of the lower house. Katatny has two deputies, one from the liberal al-Wafd party and the other from the ultra conservative al-Nour party. The Parliament began its first session on January 23 by reciting Qur'an verses for those who died during the revolution in 2011 and promised to “look after the revolution and its demands in honor of the martyrs.” Meanwhile, thousands of Egyptians gathered in Tahrir and in the roads leading to the parliament building holding signs and chanting, to remind the new members of their job and to warn them of not ignoring the demands of the people. The first session leaned towards disorder and drew criticism from activists over the continuous interruptions from members. Katatny's win came as no surprise, as the FJP won the majority of the votes in the elections, making it a historic win for the group. The position had been exclusive to members from the dissolved National Democratic Party prior to the uprising. Katatnty holds a PhD degree in botanical science and has been involved in politics for over two decades and is a member of the executive bureau of the MB. The Brotherhood's FJP won 47 percent of seats in the new parliament. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/tTzkm Tags: Elections, featured, FJP, Muslim Brotherhood, Parliament Section: Egypt, Latest News
