The constituent assembly will be formed from members of parliament, said Mamdouh Shaheen, assistant minister of defense for legal affairs and a member of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). He also said that the ruling military council is committed to Article 60 of the constitutional declaration which states that a constituent assembly will be tasked with writing Egypt's new constitution. The advisory council, meanwhile, will provide assistance to the SCAF and give its opinion on draft laws, he said. In a telephone conversation with a TV show on Dream satellite channel on Friday, Shaheen added that the parliament is the legislative authority which issues binding laws. The advisory council, meanwhile, only gives its opinion to the SCAF, which in turn delivers it to the government. The law on presidential elections will be submitted to the advisory council and eventually issued by the parliament, he said. The role of the advisory council will be limited to providing its opinion when the parliament convenes. The parliament to be formed will monitor the government and issue legislation, but will not be able to pass a no-confidence vote against the government, Shaheen added. Meanwhile, Mohamed al-Beltagui, a member of the executive council of the Freedom and Justice Party, (FJP) described Shaheen's statements as “reassuring,” adding that he hopes the SCAF will allow the coming parliament to have full legislative powers. He also said that if the advisory council merely carried out consultation functions without interfering with the job of parliament, including the choice of constituent assembly members, then the FJP would welcome its role and may even consider joining it. Beltagui added that if his party seizes the majority in parliament, his party will ensure that the constituent assembly represents Egyptian society in its entirety and not only the majority.
