An Egyptian lawmaker (C) arrives for Egypt's parliament in Cairo, capital of Egypt, on Jan. 23, 2012. Egypt's newly-elected People's Assembly (lower house of parliament) started its first session on Monday with the main agenda of selecting its speaker and two deputies, state TV reported. (Xinhua/Ahmad Radi)

Egypt's newly-elected People's Assembly (lower house of parliament) started its first session on Monday with the main agenda of selecting its speaker and two deputies, state TV reported.

The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, has nominated the party's Secretary General Mohamed Saad Katatni as its candidate for the speaker post. The party has won 47 percent of seats in the 508-member legislature.

Mohamoud Sakka, elected member from Al-Wafd Party, chaired the session which began at 11 a.m. (0900 GMT). New lawmakers then took their oaths.

"All parties in the parliament need to cooperate to realize the interests of Egyptian people," Katatni told reporters ahead of the session. "The new parliament is different from previous ones. No single party could control the parliament."

A total of 15 parties or coalitions have won seats in the parliamentary elections which started in last November and ended in mid-January. The top four winners are the FJP, 235 seats or 47. 2 percent of parliamentary seats contested by parties and independents; Al-Nour Party, 123 seats or 24.7 percent; Al-Wafd Party, 38 seats; and the Egyptian Bloc, 34 seats, state media reported.

Other parties include Wassat, 10 seats; Reform and Development, nine seats; Revolution Continues Alliance, seven seats; Freedom Party, four seats; and National Egypt Party, five seats.

The People's Assembly has 498 seats contested by parties or independents and ten appointed by Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling military council.

The Shura Council (upper house of parliament) elections will start in late January and end in February. The new parliament will then select a 100-member committee to draft a new constitution. The presidential polls will be held in mid-June.