CAIRO — The opening session of Egypt’s first democratically elected Parliament in more than six decades erupted in chaos Monday as the Islamists dominating the chamber struggled to keep order and thousands of demonstrators gathered outside in a mix of celebration and protest.
It took until nightfall for the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s mainstream Islamist group, to beat back an unexpectedly vocal challenge from a dissident former member so that the parliamentarians could elect a Brotherhood stalwart, Saad el Katatni, as speaker.
Katatni’s victory, by a vote of 399-97, signified an important turn in the history of the Muslim Brotherhood. The group had been banned by Hosni Mubarak, the former autocratic president deposed in the Egypt revolution a year ago.
The Brotherhood’s success, however, was tempered by the noisy reminders both inside and outside the chamber of the challenges that members face in leading the country through its promised transition to democracy.
Egypt’s Parliament remains subordinate to the ruling military council that took power with Mubarak’s ouster.
Denver Post wire services
