Presidential hopeful Amr Moussa announced Thursday that he opposes the formation of a civilian presidential council to run Egypt during its transitional period, calling on the country's military leaders to end the transitional period within five weeks. “Revolutionaries should rally so that schemes aiming to split them and thwart the revolution will fail,” said Moussa. The transitional phase should end within five weeks, starting from Thursday, in accordance with the promise that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) made after former President Hosni Mubarak stepped down, he added. The SCAF's third statement, issued after Mubarak stepped down on 11 February, declared that the military would run the country for only six months, until a civil authority was elected. Moussa stressed that he is against the formation of a civilian presidential council, as it will be an unelected body. He called for holding presidential elections before parliamentary elections, reasoning that staging parliamentary elections first will create frequent changes in the government and instability. According to the SCAF, a constituent body will be chosen to draft a new constitution after the parliamentary elections. In contrast, some political movements have called for electing a constituent committee before the parliamentary elections, which would involve extending the transitional phase. There is a gap between the people and decision-makers, Moussa asserted, adding that he expects that the military junta will not respond to demands such as requesting a change of the cabinet. Moussa said that he does not mind keeping Essam Sharaf in the post of prime minister, as he has used his power recently to promise reforms. Translated from the Arabic Edition
