Prominent novelist Alaa Al Aswany has declined his nomination to sit on the committee tasked with writing Egypt’s new constitution, saying the formation of the body will be the same as its failed first iteration.
“I received today an official letter from the Dentists Syndicate recommending my nomination to the constitution-writing committee. I apologize for not accepting the nomination, with appreciation to the confidence given to me,” Aswany, who is also a dentist, posted on his Twitter account.
In a later tweet, Aswany criticized parliamentary Islamists’ apportionment of seats on the Constituent Assembly as unfair.
“The new formation of the Constituent Assembly is no different from the old formation. Fifty-seven percent is in the hands of the Brotherhood, while the others are extras,” he said.
Aswany referred to an agreement reached between Islamists and civil forces last week to divide the body between them 50-50. On Tuesday, a coalition of liberal and leftist parties said they would not take part in the assembly after discovering that Islamists had included two Islamist parties in the half of the body apparently allocated for non-Islamists.
“What’s the point of discussing a constitution written by the Brotherhood in the supreme guide’s [leader of the group] office?” Aswany asked. “They can impose it on us through their majority. We need a constitution for all Egyptians.”
