Egypt’s ultra-conservative Nour Party said on Thursday that its elected members would attend the first parliament session, denying rumours that they would be absent because a woman will head the session.
According to the law regulating the House of Representatives, the oldest member heads the first parliament session until a speaker is elected.
The oldest parliamentarian is Amna Noseir, 67, a professor of Islamic law and philosophy.
She will be the first woman speaker in Egypt’s parliamentary history.
The rumours claimed that elected Nour Party parliamentarians would not attend over objections to a female leader.
“The Nour party parliamentarians have all the appreciation and respect for Mrs Amna Noseir and all members of Egypt’s House of Representatives,” the party’s statement read.
Nour parliamentarians, the statement added, adhere to Egypt’s constitution and law and would attend all parliament sessions to take part in their monitoring and legislative rule.
The Nour Party garnered 12 seats in the parliamentary elections that took place over two phases in October and December.
In the 2011 parliamentary elections, Nour gained a second party majority in the parliament with around 24 percent of the seats.
The first upcoming parliament session is said to take place before the end of this year, ending a four-year parliamentary hiatus.
The House of Representatives will be composed of the highest number of MPs in the country’s 150-year parliamentary history.
The MPs are divided into 448 independents, 120 list-based deputies and 28 presidential appointees.
