The advisory council recently created by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) held its first meeting on Sunday and elected a former information minister, Mansour Hassan, as its president.
The members elected two deputies for Hassan: Abul Ela Mady, president of the Wasat Party, and Sameh Ashour, president of the Lawyers Syndicate.
Mohamed Nour Farahat, a leader from the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, was elected secretary general. Sherif Mohamed Zahran and Abdel Mohamed al-Moghazy were elected assistants to the secretary general.
Ashour told Al-Masry Al-Youm that they were elected in a secret ballot.
The council’s secretary general will act as liaison between the council and the SCAF. The council is to convene at least once a week, but may meet whenever the need arises or upon the request of one-third of its members or the head of the SCAF.
As soon as the election result was announced, the council started putting together an agenda for discussions, prioritizing issues by importance. Discussions will likely focus on establishing criteria for presidential nominations and for choosing members of the constituent assembly that will write the constitution.
Twenty-four of the council's 30 members were present at the first meeting. Among the most notable absentees were Coptic businessman and founder of the Free Egyptians Party Naguib Sawiris, presidential hopeful Amr Moussa, and president of the Wafd Party Al-Sayed al-Bedawy.
No SCAF members attended.
The SCAF decreed the formation of the advisory council on Thursday. The council may elect new members, and its mission officially expires with the election of a president. The council consists of representatives of some political parties and other individuals chosen by the SCAF, which recently indicated that the council's function is merely to advise the military rulers, rather than replace the upcoming parliament. Tensions arose when a SCAF general, Mokhtar al-Mulla, told foreign press last week that the parliament will not be solely responsible for appointing the assembly that will draft the constitution.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued earlier on Sunday, the Muslim Brotherhood said it supports the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) in its decision to withdraw from the advisory council.
The Brotherhood added that it does not intend, however, to have a confrontation with the SCAF or any other political power.
The statement claimed that the council is yet another tool employed by the SCAF to pass the controversial supra-constitutional principles proposed by former Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmy. It also cited Mulla's comments, and comments made by SCAF member Mamdouh Shahin.
These developments, the statement said, prompted the FJP's withdrawal.
The Brotherhood further said that no authority has the right to infringe upon the parliament's powers or issue legislation, particularly constitutional laws that will remain in place after the parliament convenes.
"The constitution is the supreme law for the country, and its impact will not stop at this generation, but extend to generations to come," the statement read. "Presumably, the constitution should be drafted by a panel elected by the parliament that is representative of all social groups, so that it will be formed through consensus."
The statement said that even though some hope to see the Brotherhood clash with the SCAF, it plans to avoid a confrontation, as it trusts the SCAF and appreciates the military’s support for the revolution.
Further, the statement added that there will be no strife between the Brotherhood and Salafis because "difference of opinion does not necessarily lead to conflict," and the Brotherhood plans to cooperate with all political forces.
The statement claimed that the smooth completion of the electoral process is the solution to current political problems, said all parties must endorse the results.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
