Upper House Of Egypt Parliament Holds 1st Session

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s newly elected upper house of parliament is holding its inaugural session, with Islamists dominating the 270-seat chamber.

Tuesday’s session of the Shura Council was only attended by the 180 members elected in the popular vote, which was the final stage in Egypt’s staggered parliamentary elections.

The ruling military council, which took power after Hosni Mubarak was ousted by a popular uprising a year ago, has yet to appoint the remaining 90 members. The Shura Council is a largely toothless body and there have been calls for it to be abolished.

Islamists also dominate the lower house of parliament, known as the People’s Assembly. The two chambers will jointly meet later this week to select a panel to draft a new constitution.