Egypt's non-oil exports jump 21% in first 9 months of 2025 -GOEIC    Egyptian pound shows marginal fluctuations versus dollar in early Wednesday trade    Egypt ramps up preparations for Grand Egyptian Museum opening    El-Shimy, UAE Ambassador discuss strengthening industrial, investment cooperation    Egypt's Finance Minister calls for new mechanisms for sustainable debt management    Fragile ceasefire in Gaza: Egypt's intelligence chief visits Israel to advance peace process    Egypt, Qatar discuss Gaza aid, bilateral cooperation    Egypt, France agree to boost humanitarian aid, rebuild Gaza's health sector    Egyptian junior and ladies' golf open to be held in New Giza, offers EGP 1m in prizes    The Survivors of Nothingness — Part Two    Asian stocks climb on Tuesday    Egypt discusses troop deployment to Somalia with foreign minister    Egypt's PM reviews efforts to remove Nile River encroachments    Health Minister reviews readiness of Minya for rollout of universal health insurance    Egypt strengthens ties with NEPAD at Aswan Forum    Sisi invites Egyptians to join Gaza reconstruction drive, citing shared humanity    Egypt screens 13.3m under presidential cancer detection initiative since mid-2023    Egypt launches official website for Grand Egyptian Museum ahead of November opening    The Survivors of Nothingness — Episode (I)    Al-Sisi: Cairo to host Gaza reconstruction conference in November    Egypt, WHO sign cooperation strategy to strengthen health system through 2028    Egypt successfully hosts Egyptian Amateur Open golf championship with 19-nation turnout    Africa can lead global recovery, Egypt's Sisi tells Aswan Forum    Egypt: Guardian of Heritage, Waiting for the World's Conscience    Egypt, Qatar sign MoU to boost cooperation in healthcare, food safety    Egypt will never relinquish historical Nile water rights, PM says    Al Ismaelia launches award-winning 'TamaraHaus' in Downtown Cairo revival    Al-Sisi, Burhan discuss efforts to end Sudan war, address Nile Dam dispute in Cairo talks    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile actions, calls for global water cooperation    Egypt unearths New Kingdom military fortress on Horus's Way in Sinai    Egyptian Open Amateur Golf Championship 2025 to see record participation    Syria releases preliminary results of first post-Assad parliament vote    Karnak's hidden origins: Study reveals Egypt's great temple rose from ancient Nile island    Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



SCAF gives parties 48 hours to resolve constituent assembly crisis
Military council gives political parties two days to decide on membership criteria for constituent assembly or else it will issue 'constitutional annex' or revive 1971 constitution
Published in Ahram Online on 05 - 06 - 2012

After a meeting with Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on Tuesday, political party representatives said that the council had given them a two-day period in which to issue a parliamentary decision on the membership criteria for Egypt's constituent assembly – tasked with drafting a new constitution – or else the SCAF would either issue a 'constitutional annex' or revive the 1971 constitution.
Party representatives and MPs who attended the meeting with the SCAF said they had refused a proposal to amend Article 60 of the Constitutional Declaration, which, if modified, would state that the constituent assembly should be appointed according to a set of criteria set by parliament, as opposed to its original text stating that assembly members should be directly elected by sitting MPs.
Party representatives announced that, if parliament failed to agree to issue viable membership criteria by Thursday, the SCAF had said it would unilaterally issue a 'constitutional annex' or revive Egypt's 1971 constitution, suspended since last year's Tahrir Square uprising.
Independent MP Mostafa Bakri said in the statement that party representatives who had attended the meeting would negotiate with the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and other parties the issue of proposed legislation laying down membership criteria of the constituent assembly instead of amending the Constitutional Declaration.
The proposed amendment stipulates that the assembly include heads of parties represented in parliament; heads of judiciary bodies; elected heads of professional syndicates; and civil society representatives, in order to ensure the assembly is not dominated by a single political current. Twenty public figures representing women, young people and Copts would also be included, although exactly who would select them remains unclear.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the SalafistNour Party, the liberalWafd Party, the liberalFree Egyptians party, the Islamist Building and Development Party, theReform and Development Party,the nationalist Karama Party, the leftistTaggamu Party, the Salafist Assala Party, the liberalAdl Partyand the Democratic Front Party.
A number of independent MPs also attended the meeting, including Mostafa Bakry, Marianne Kamal, Yasser El-Kadi and Mohamed Abu-Hamed.
Several parties, however, stated that they would not attend the meeting. The FJP stated on its official website that it was "not appropriate" to take part in such a meeting at the current juncture, given ongoing protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square. TheEgyptian Social Democratic Party,headed by Mohamed Abul-Ghar, and the moderate-IslamistWasat Party, headed by Abu-Ela Madi, also refrained from attending the meeting.
There will soon be negotiations – between the FJP, the Wasat Party and the Egyptian Social Democratic Party on one side, and the Nour Party and the Free Egyptians party on the other – aimed at reaching agreement on criteria regulating the constituent assembly. According to party representatives who met with the SCAF, talks will be held within the next 48 hours.
Days after formation of the first constituent assembly in April, a mass walkout by non-Islamist members jeopardized the assembly's future. Members of liberal and leftist parties, prominent independent figures and representatives of professional and trade unions, as well as representatives of the Coptic Church and Islamic authority Al-Azhar, all pulled out of the constitution-drafting body, saying the assembly in its current form was "unrepresentative" of Egyptian society.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/43951.aspx


Clic here to read the story from its source.