The first draft of the constitution is set to be completed within the week, said Mohamed Al-Salmawy, official spokesman of the Constituent Assembly, on Monday. Salmawy gave a statement, which read: "The various committees responsible for amending the previous constitution are close to finalizing the articles; within a week, a new constitution will be formed." He said that the next step after finishing the draft is its review by "the drafting committee, which will commence to evaluate all constitutional articles in closed sessions with members of the committee, eventually presenting the whole constitution in front of the general committee." Salmawy stated: "The landmarks of the new constitution are emerging", describing it "as the Constitution of the revolution that meets the aspirations of the 25 January Revolution, which called for freedom, democracy, social justice and human dignity." "The constitution also stands for the principles of the 30 June Revolution of independence, which presented national will and rejected religious rule," Al-Salmawy added. Various constituent branches from the Constituent Assembly are responsible for different topics, such as presidential authorities, family rights, labour rights and women's rights. Salmawy added: "The 2013 constitution is Egypt's second crossing and will transport it into a new era." This week, th assembly discussed whether to draft a new constitution or amend the previous one. Head of the Constituent Assembly Amr Moussa said on Wednesday: "The assembly's legal committee discussed the validity of writing a new constitution, and found that it would not violate the constitutional decree that had formed the assembly."
