The Salafi Nour Party is considering an appeal against an Administrative Court verdict to disband the assembly tasked with drafting Egypt’s constitution.
Ahmed Khalil, head of the party’s parliamentary bloc, said the party has not yet reached a decision and that while it has no problem with the assembly being reconstituted, it is still considering appealing the verdict.
An Administrative Court ruling on Tuesday rejected the current makeup of the Constituent Assembly, which was formed by Parliament in late March. The verdict followed a lawsuit challenging the Islamist domination of the 100-member panel.
Article 60 of the Constitutional Declaration tasks Parliament with electing the members of the assembly. Islamists claim that this article justifies the assembly’s current formation, while opponents contend that this article does not allow members of Parliament to be part of the assembly.
There are 50 members of Parliament in the current Constituent Assembly, many of whom are representatives of the Freedom and Justice and Nour parties.
People’s Assembly Majority Leader Hussein Ibrahim of the FJP told state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper that both chambers of Parliament should define the criteria for Constituent Assembly membership.
Nour Party spokesperson Mohamed Nour echoed this sentiment, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm, adding that his party rejects military council interference in choosing assembly members.
Constituent Assembly member Wahid Abdel Meguid, coordinator for the Democratic Alliance, the FJP-led parliamentary bloc, said discussions will be held with Al-Azhar and the Coptic Orthodox Church about a new formation of the assembly that would be discussed later in a meeting between the People’s Assembly and the Shura Council.
FJP MP and Constituent Assembly member Ali Fath al-Bab said it is likely that the assembly will be reconstituted in a joint meeting of both houses of Parliament.
Secular and liberal figures and representatives from Al-Azhar and the church have withdrawn from the assembly saying that it is not representative of all members of Egyptian society.
Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb met with representatives from various political movements, MPs and members of several syndicates in his office on Wednesday. The attendees agreed that Tayyeb would contact all political parties and movements to reach an agreement on the formation of a new assembly.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
