Interview: Egypt's new parliament needs Sisi's support, not vice versa: party leader

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi is in no need of the new parliament's support, nor does he need constitutional amendment to expand his authorities, but it is the parliament that needs the president's support in case of popular dissatisfaction, said leftist party leader Sayyid Abdel-Aal in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua.

"I will demand all parliament members to stop calls for constitutional amendments to back the president. Sisi had to run for president in response to popular calls, so he is backed by the people and he does not need such political hypocrisy," the leader of leftist Tagammu Party told Xinhua in his office at the party's headquarters in downtown the capital Cairo.

Abdel-Aal is one of 28 parliament members appointed by Sisi who has the right to directly appoint 5 percent of total 596 parliament members according to the new constitution approved via a referendum in early 2014.

The recently elected new parliament, whose first session is to be held in a few days, is considered the third and final phase of the country's three-step future roadmap to democracy announced by the military on the ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in early July 2013.

"The House of Representatives can propose withdrawing confidence from the president and hold early presidential elections," says Article 161 of the constitution, provided the proposal is approved by two thirds of the parliament members.

"Those lawmakers who speak of amending the constitution to extend Sisi's presidency and maximize his power belong to the era of former long-time leader Hosni Mubarak, unaware that Sisi's situation is completely different than that of Mubarak," Tagammu Party chief continued.

He explained that Sisi came to power through popular demands unlike Mubarak who ruled the country for three decades despite the will of most of the people.

"It is so absurd to officially vow to respect the law and the constitution as lawmakers and the next day demand constitutional amendments," he argued, "we should respect the people's will that resulted in the new constitution."

As for the effect of being appointed by Sisi on his monitoring role of the government and the president, the leftist leader said that his party's parliamentary history is free from any kind of hypocrisy to the rulers.

"Our partisan principle is to announce our support for the government when it is right, and to announce our disagreement when we disagree with it and provide an alternative solution presented by our experts," Abdel-Aal stressed.

Article 156 of the constitution states that all the bills issued by the president must be reviewed and approved by the new parliament within 15 days of its first assembly. If not, the power of their previous legal effect will automatically be dropped.

The leftist party leader denied that the anti-terrorism and anti-protest laws approved by Sisi basically limit the freedoms of the people. "It is terrorism that imposes limits on the freedoms, not the state, the government or the law."

"The anti-terrorism law, the anti-protest law and the law of civil society organizations have to be reviewed in accordance with the constitution not based on personal views. We have to respect the constitution as the final judge," the politician told Xinhua.

Abdel-Aal, who joined the parliament's economic committee being a researcher in the field, said that there are tens of Mubarak-era laws that require earnest review or cancelation as they promote corruption, including those related to construction on agricultural lands, land allocations, privatization and others.

With regards to the low popularity of Tagammu Party in particular and leftism in general, he said that former Egyptian presidents feared the leftists and worked hard to disrepute them as leftist principles contradicted their personal interests.

"Unlike them, Sisi does not fear leftists. He sees that leftism has a national political say which is important to listen to and benefit from," the party chief told Xinhua.

He said that Tagammu Party principles appeal to the Egyptian people and that the slogan of "bread, freedom, social justice and human dignity" was written on the walls of the party in 2010 before it was raised during the January 2011 revolution that overthrew ex-president Mubarak. Endit