At a press conference on Thursday to mark the announcement of the political rights law, Major-General Mamdouh Shahin, a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, confirmed that the parliamentary elections would be held in September as scheduled, and added that the law affirms the right for all Egyptians to vote, which means Egyptians living abroad would also be allowed to vote for the first time Shahin also said that a new constitution would be devised after the parliamentary elections and before the presidential elections, noting that Deputy Prime Minister Yehia al-Gamal is holding a national conference on Saturday to establish the basic principles of the new constitution. Buillding a new constitution on the basis of these principles will be the responsiblity of a constitutional committee to be formed by the People's Assembly and the Shura Council. “The elections will be under full judicial supervision, and under the protection of the armed forces,” he said. He explained that voters will be allowed to participate in the elections with their ID cards, without having to obtain special electoral cards like before, and that there would be a judge for each ballot. He added that the results would be announced on the internet. In response the question of whether the election would be conducted on an individual basis or by means of a proportional list, Shahin said there would need to be a national dialogue to decide the matter. Translated from the Arabic Edition
