The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) announced Thursday that it will not join a 50-member civilian advisory council being formed by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) but did not explain the reasons behind its decision.
The SCAF previously announced that the council would include public figures, presidential hopefuls and representatives from political groups and is expected to officially announce the members Thursday.
The FJP said on its official website it has withdrawn its candidates for the council, including party president Mohamed Morsy and Osama Yassin, the FJP's assistant secretary general.
Yassin told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the FJP is holding a closed meeting, after which a statement will be issued to explain the reasons behind the withdrawal.
SCAF member Major General Mokhtar al-Mulla said Thursday that based on the results of the first round of elections, the People’s Assembly will not fully represent the Egyptian people. He asserted that the constituent assembly that parliament will select to draft Egypt's new constitution should first be approved by the proposed civilian advisory council and the government.
This statement contributed to the FJP's decision not to join the advisory council, party sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm.
The civilian advisory council is designed to vet the criteria for choosing constituent assembly members, Islamist presidential hopeful Mohamed Selim al-Awa, who is expected to serve on the council, told reporters Sunday.
According to the March constitutional declaration, the next parliament will be responsible for selecting a 100-member constituent assembly to write the new constitution.
Liberals and secularists fear Islamists will control the process, especially after their strong showing in the first stage of parliamentary elections.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
