MPs in Egypt Baulk at Prospect of ‘Social Unrest’ as Plan to End Rent Control for Millions Sparks Anger

Writer: Ahmed Bakr, Anas Mohamed

A new government proposal to phase out Egypt’s outdated rent control laws sparked heated debate inside the House of Representatives and beyond last week.

Several million renters, many of whom are civil service pensioners living in upscale neighborhoods of Cairo and Giza, fear that the legislation will push them out of their homes and into peripheral areas of the capital.

For lawmakers in the House, who are convening a “social dialogue” on the law this week, the prospect of mass evictions loomed large among concerns they voiced during sessions last week — attended by a Mada Masr correspondent — that the changes could become the lasting legacy of their five-year term in Parliament, which is set to end in June.

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