Military head Hussein Tantawi called Sunday for the new constitution to be written before governing authority is handed over to a newly elected president on 30 June, according to independent MP Mostafa Bakry.
In a press conference held after Tantawi met with representatives of 19 political parties in Parliament and several independent MPs, Bakry added that attendees viewed writing the constitution ahead of the presidential election as controversial.
Ghad al-Thawra Party founder Ayman Nour proposed that the new president hold the powers laid out in the Constitutional Declaration, which Tantawi rejected, warning of the risks of electing a president with no power, according to Bakry.
During the press conference, Wafd Party chief Al-Sayed al-Badawy referred to three issues that the attendees agreed on. The first was to hold an urgent meeting within the week for party chiefs represented in Parliament and independent MPs to agree on the formation of a new constituent assembly.
The second issue, according to Badawy, was to hold a meeting next Sunday for speakers of the People’s Assembly and Shura Council with party representatives to announce what has been agreed on. The third issue reflected Tantawi's call for the bicameral Parliament to hold a joint meeting to elect the constitution-writing committee, according to what has been agreed on.
Mohamed Morsy, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, said the party assured that the constitution should represent all segments of the society and that conflicts over the previous assembly were due to rates of representation.
Al-Masry Al-Youm was informed that the meeting did not address the political rights law or the presidential election, and that it only was concerned with the constituent assembly.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
