Egypt’s parliament to convene on Jan. 10

CAIRO

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday appointed 28 lawmakers to the newly-elected parliament.

Sisi also called on the new assembly to convene on Jan. 10, 2016.

Egypt held a two-phase parliamentary poll in October and November, the first since the 2013 coup against President Mohamed Morsi.

The vote -- the last step in an army-imposed transitional roadmap following Morsi’s ouster -- has seen pro-Sisi MPs dominating most seats in the new assembly.

The 596-seat parliament includes 568 elected members: 448 who were elected on an individual basis and 120 through party lists in addition to 28 MPs appointed by the Egyptian President.

“For the Love of Egypt”, a loyalist electoral alliance led by a former intelligence officer, won all 120 seats allocated to party lists in the two-phase election.

The now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group – of which Morsi had been a leader – had dominated Egypt’s last parliament, which was dissolved in 2012.

Since Morsi’s overthrow, Egyptian authorities have waged a harsh crackdown on the Brotherhood, arresting thousands of the group’s leaders and supporters.