Uncertainty surrounding a constitutional announcement issued by Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) fueled the anger of Egyptian political powers discontent with its contents. The political groups accused the SCAF of pursuing the same policies of the former regime and threatened of escalating pressure in coming days. Chairman of the al-Tagammu Party, Rifaat el-Said, said the confidential issue of the constitutional announcement reflects the confusing nature of the SCAF. He criticized the announcement's inclusion of recent amendments to the election law despite political parties' refusal of these amendments before. Tarik al-Zomor, a leader in the Islamic Group, said that only the military council, which he views as a threat to civilian rule after the end of the transitional stage, rules Egypt. He added that his group would escalate pressure on the ruling council. Zomor criticized the recent amendments to the elections law, saying they open the door for remnants of the dissolved National Democratic Party (NDP) to re-enter parliament and to participate in the political life. Aboul Ezz al-Hariri, a leader of the Public Coalition Party, said that the new elections law aims to pave the way for former NDP members to steal the Egyptian revolution and excluding the youth of the revolution from political life. He criticized the issue of the constitutional announcement without conducting a referendum, considering such a measure as a rape of the Egyptian revolution. Hariri warned of another revolution against the military council to reject the constitutional announcement, which serves only the remnants of the former regime. Ahmed Abou Baraka, official in the Freedom and Justice Party, said that the Egyptian political powers rejected the constitutional announcement. Baraka threatened to escalate actions against the ruling council, demanding it to respond to public demands. Ahmed Shokry, Secretary of the Justice Party, described the constitutional announcement as "strange and suspicious," criticizing the announcement without consulting political powers. Shokry added that the ruling council ignored the demands raised by the Egyptian political forces. He said that during a meeting with political parties the Vice President of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Sami Anan, rejected a demand to hold parliamentary elections through proportional representation. "We can't draft a new constitutional announcement to hold the elections through the proportional representation," Anan said.
