CAIRO: The Egyptian cabinet has approved changes to rules governing the People's Assembly and the Shura Council, the lower and upper houses of parliament. "The most important new rules are: more than one candidate can apply for election from the same party and female candidates will be listed on the first half of the list," said Mohamed Hegazy, the Prime Minister's foreign affairs advisor. There are 500 seats in the People's Assembly, the lower house of parliament. 50 percent of the seats remain reserved for workers and farmers. The minimum age has been reduced to 25 years. The upper house, the Shura Council, has 390 members. In related news, the Egyptian cabinet approved the Ministry of Irrigation's plan to establish public parks along the Nile. The project includes four sites in Cairo. It will cost 20 million EGP (U.S. $3.4 million) and will provide 65,000 jobs. The cabinet approved another ministry plan to cultivate 250,000 acres in the southeast of Qattra in the Western Desert. A project of the Egyptian Family House, presented by al-Azhar sheiks, was also approved. It aims to establish an organization and board of trustees including Islamic and Christian scholars. The cabinet discussed the European Union's decision to stop importing Egyptian seeds because of fears they could be infected with E. Coli. Egypt's Minister of Agriculture, however, confirmed the seeds are free of any bacteria. The cabinet also said it trusts Egyptians' judgment. The government refused to interfere in judicial rulings and will provide protection to courts to achieve justice.
