On its first day, the People's Assembly selected new Speaker, Saad Katatni, of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party , along with two deputy speakers. The Freedom and Justice Party holds the largest number of seats in the lower house. After elections to the upper house are complete in March, one of the parliament's first tasks will be to select a committee that will write Egypt's new constitution. Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has said that it will turn over authority to an elected civilian president by the end of June. The United States congratulates the Egyptian people and their government on these important steps toward fulfilling the promise of Egypt's revolution, which has inspired the world. The United States will continue to stand with the Egyptian people and those across the region, as they defend universal values and work toward a better future for all Egyptians. |