The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ (SCAF) Advisory Council has finished writing a memorandum on the presidential elections draft law, said Mohamed Nour Farahat, the council’s secretary general, on Wednesday. But Farahat refused to comment on the details of the document which expressed the council views concerning the draft law.
"The expected next step is for this memorandum to be presented to the cabinet’s Legislative Committee,” he said. “If approved, it will be issued by the SCAF as part of a presidential elections law."
Farahat told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the members of the Advisory Council submitted the memorandum Wednesday morning.
However, Sameh Ashour, deputy head of the advisory council, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the Advisory Council rejects the draft law in its current form.
On 15 December, the SCAF announced it had prepared a draft law to regulate the presidential elections, which are slated to be held before the end of June.
According to the draft law, which was discussed in the state-owned Middle East News Agency (MENA), presidential hopefuls must receive the support of 30 members of Parliament, or 30,000 potential voters, to become official nominees for president.
MENA said the draft law allows any party in parliament to nominate one of its members in the presidential elections.
When questioned about the founding committee to draft the constitution, Farahat said the Advisory Council is committed to Article 60 of the Constitutional Declaration, which states that the formation of this committee is within the jurisdiction of the elected members of parliament and the Shura Council.
Farhat went on to say that "the Advisory Council’s role is has a great deal of importance and significance during this sensitive period in the history of our country, and we are playing a patriotic role that everyone needs to respect."
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
