CAIRO: Egypt's military leaders will hold a referendum on constitutional change on March 19, a parliamentary election in June and a presidential poll six weeks later, a youth activist said on Monday after meeting them. Zyad El-Elaily and 16 other members of the Coalition of Revolutionary Youth which took part in protests to oust President Hosni Mubarak, said he had met three members of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces on Sunday. "The armed forces council told us the referendum on constitutional amendments would take place on March 19 and the People's Assembly election would be held in June," Elaily said. "Presidential elections would be held a month and a half later." The council has yet to set a formal date for the referendum or elections. Elaily said the council's timeframe for the referendum and the elections reflected its eagerness to hand over power. "The council said it was committed to see a civilian government set up within the six-month period and refused to consider extending the period," Elaily said. Egypt's new military rulers said on Feb. 13 they would keep control of the country for six months or until parliamentary and presidential elections were held following constitutional amendments. Voters can use their national identification cards to vote rather than obtaining a voting card — a procedure that opposition activists and voters said discouraged participation. The elections will be supervised by the judiciary, which was largely excluded from the last election held under Mubarak that was widely seen as rigged.
