Egypt’s Shura Council (upper house of parliament) will discuss on Wednesday the new parliamentary elections law that Prime Minister Hisham Kandil's cabinet drafted.

The Legislation Committee of the council agreed on a preliminary draft of the bill on Tuesday and will now refer it to the general assembly of the upper house to comment on it then send it to the High Constitutional Court to review its legality.

The main changes in the new law include: changing the name of the People's Assembly to House of Representatives, retracting the president's right to appoint ten members to the assembly and giving women better representation by putting them on top of the electoral lists.

Now that a constitution has been approved, the election of a new House of Representatives is expected to take place within two months to replace the previous that was dissolved upon a court ruling that declared the law that brought it to place invalid.

Following the adoption of the new constitution, the Shura Council assumed legislative power from President Mohamed Mursi who held it temporarily following the dissolution of the People's Assembly.

The council is now expected to legislate a new parliamentary elections law to pave the way for the election of a new House of Representatives.