CAIRO - An independent initiative to speed up the presidential vote, scheduled for June next year, is being met with opposition from the Advisory Council, a group of experts who assist the ruling military council in dealing with civilian matters and issues of democratisation. The members of the Advisory Council said on Sunday that there was no need to expedite the presidential vote, the first since a popular uprising overthrew Hosni Mubarak in February after 30 years in power. "There must be enough time for the writing of the Constitution after the new Parliament starts its session," Mansour Hassan, the head of the Advisory Council, told the Middle East News Agency (MENA). The military council had earlier decided to hold the elections of the Shura Council (the Upper House of the Egyptian Parliament) in February, instead of March. Observers say this could bring about a quick end to the current transitional period, which should culminate in the holding of presidential elections and the handing over of power to civilians. A group of legislators, including Amr Hamzawi, a political science professor, have suggested holding the presidential elections in April, instead of June, reflecting nationwide calls for this. The demonstrators in Tahrir Square and other squares across this country have been putting pressure on the military, which took over after Mubarak stepped down, to swiftly hand over power. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has said several times that it will abide by the transition timetable it announced months ago, but few revolutionaries say they believe that SCAF will honour its promise. Quickly handing over power to civilians is a top demand of the demonstrations that have been happening across the nation for months now. In a seven-article plan, Hamzawi suggests that Parliament form a group of representatives in its first session in January to negotiate with the military council on power transition measures and also bringing civilian and military policemen accused of committing human rights violations to account. He adds that Parliament should draw up the Presidential Election Law during the first week of its session, in parallel with negotiating the power transition measures with the military council. "At the same time, the council should invite presidential candidates to submit their applications on February 1," Hamzawi explains in his plan. This plan, however, does not seem to satisfy the members of the Advisory Council, which functions as a bridge connecting the ruling military council with the people. Hassan said a legislative assembly will start writing the Constitution as soon as Parliament is in session. "But, if the assembly fails to finish writing the Constitution before June, the presidential elections will be held anyway," he added.
