Islamic presidential hopeful Mohamed Selim al-Awa welcomed on Tuesday a cabinet proposal to shorten the period for writing Egypt's new constitution. The civilian government submitted a proposal to the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) that suggests issuing a “complementary” constitutional declaration that would include amendments on the process of the transition of power and method of drafting the new constitution, informed sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm. The proposal also proposes shortening the time taken to form the committee that will write the constitution to one month, instead of six as stated in the current constitutional declaration. The constitution itself will be written over a six-month period. The “complementary” declaration, according to the same sources, also states that the SCAF should form another committee to write the constitution if the period ends without a new one being produced. In a statement on Tuesday, Awa said an elected president should form a replacement committee with the help of parliament, not the SCAF, as stipulated in the proposal. Sources revealed on Monday that presidential elections may be held while the constitution is being written, and not after writing it, to guarantee a quicker transition to a civilian authority. “Some proposals may sound good, but conceal attempts to lure the SCAF into a sustained political role,” Awa warned, noting military that the ruling council's role is supposed to end when a president is elected. He also stressed that parliamentary and presidential elections should finish by the end of February at the latest, “so SCAF won't be in office for more than a year under any circumstances.” Translated from the Arabic Edition
