Mohamed Walid Zein, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, sent an official letter to the President of the Council, recording what he described as “blatant violations” that marred the oral questions session on Monday, May 5, 2025, holding both Ailal Amroui, head of the Independence Party Parliamentary Group, and Deputy Al-Yashi Farfar of the same group responsible.
The sender criticized the content of a message published by the Independence Party on social media before it was submitted to the Council’s office, deeming it to contain incorrect information and claims not based on the session’s actual events. He clarified that the session experienced a disruption for nearly half an hour due to what he considered a breach of the rules set forth in the internal regulations.
The controversy began after Amroui intervened under a point of order, citing Article 162; however, his remarks deviated from the subject at hand as he began justifying the absence of a minister and responding to a previous statement from the head of the Socialist Group. According to the letter, the session chair warned him that his comments were unrelated to the mentioned article, but the head of the Independence Group responded, “You have no right to warn me,” ignoring the provisions of Article 398 which grant the chair such authority.
The escalation peaked when Deputy Al-Yashi Farfar took the floor without permission, clearly violating Article 397, later committing what was described as an “indecent gesture” towards the presidency, a behavior that Zein stated is incompatible with the ethics and status of the legislative institution. The deputy in question apologized during the session but later protested outside of it.
Zein expressed that the incidents that occurred are unworthy of the expected ethical standards of members of Parliament and maintained that he aimed to preserve the session’s atmosphere without resorting to the disciplinary measures outlined in Articles 398 and 399. However, he called for the two deputies to be referred to the Ethics Committee for proper actions as stipulated in Article 400 of the internal regulations.
The letter opened the door for a renewed discussion on discipline within the parliamentary institution and respect for the provisions of the internal regulations, amidst a backdrop of similar incidents that have drawn widespread criticism regarding how some parliamentary sessions are conducted.
