The Official Gazette published two republican decrees issued by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, adjourning the fifth ordinary session of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, effective Wednesday, 14 Muharram 1447 AH, corresponding to 9 July 2025.
Republican Decree No. 368 of 2025 stipulates the adjournment of the fifth session of the second legislative term of the House of Representatives, while Republican Decree No. 369 of 2025 stipulates the adjournment of the fifth session of the first legislative term of the Senate.
These decrees come prior to the President’s ratification of the Old Rent Law bill, which was approved by the House of Representatives in its general session on 2 July 2025, amid sharp divisions among MPs and a boycott of the session by a number of opposition members.
The bill regulates the relationship between landlords and tenants of premises rented for residential purposes, as well as for non-residential purposes by natural persons. It sets timeframes for terminating contracts and significantly increases rental values gradually—sparking wide debate over its potential social and economic impacts.
A number of MPs withdrew from the general session in objection to Article 2 of the bill, which stipulates ending the rental relationship within seven years for residential units and five years for non-residential units, without exceptions for the original tenant or their family. They argued that passing the law without amendment disregards the social dimension and contradicts their commitments to safeguarding citizens’ interests.
This bill is a direct response to the Supreme Constitutional Court ruling issued in November 2024, which declared certain provisions of the old rent laws unconstitutional and required the House of Representatives to pass new legislation regulating the landlord–tenant relationship before the end of the current ordinary legislative session, ensuring a balance between the rights of both parties.
According to legal experts, the end of the legislative session prior to presidential ratification does not constitute a violation of the Constitutional Court ruling, as long as parliament has approved the bill and formally referred it to the President within the deadline stipulated by the ruling—which was indeed the case on 2 July. Under the Constitution, the President has a maximum of 30 days from the date of the law’s approval to ratify it and publish it in the Official Gazette.
Thus, the House of Representatives has fulfilled its constitutional obligation, leaving the next step in the hands of the President, amid widespread public anticipation of the law’s legal, social, and economic implications for more than 1.6 million Egyptian families benefiting from the old rent system.
