Cairo - An Egyptian opposition member of parliament has been suspended for threatening to throw his shoe at a ruling-party lawmaker last month, local media reported today.
Parliament voted to suspend Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated MP Ashraf Badr until the next session of parliament begins in November 2009 by a vote of 279 to 2, with one abstention, the Egyptian daily al-Masry al-Youm reported Wednesday.
But parliament also defeated a motion by ruling-party deputies that Badr be stripped entirely of his seat.
Fellow lawmakers had to restrain Badr, who occupies his seat as an independent because the Brotherhood is banned in Egypt, from throwing his shoe at Hassan Nashat, a deputy for the ruling National Democratic Party, in a heated session on January 10.
During that session, opposition and ruling-party representatives traded accusations of treason for their respective stances on Gaza.
In Tuesday's session, ruling-party MP Saad al-Gamal said Badr's actions had 'made a laughingstock' of the Egyptian parliament on Arabic satellite channels, al-Masry al-Youm reported.
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