Jama’a al-Islamiya has proposed that 70 percent of members of the constituent assembly that will write Egypt’s new constitution be chosen from among Parliament’s elected members in both houses.
The remaining 30 percent should be non-parliamentary, a statement issued Sunday by the group’s Construction and Development Party said.
They suggested that members from outside Parliament include two elected syndicate chiefs, five legal experts, the Al-Azhar grand sheikh or his representative, three members of the Islamic Research Institute and a total of five thinkers, intellectuals, poets and authors.
It also said the Judges Club, the armed forces, farmers syndicates and labor unions should each have a member on the panel, and there should also be one retired policeman.
The group suggested that the head of the Union of Students in Egypt and someone from the Union of Civil Society Organizations be members, as well as representatives of the Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic churches, and of the National Council for Women, the National Council for Youth and Sports, the National Council for Human Rights and from those injured in the 25 January uprising.
According to Article 60 of the Constitutional Declaration issued in March 2011, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces must invite Parliament’s upper and lower houses to elect a constituent assembly to draft the constitution within a maximum of six months of its formation.
The constitution should then be put to nationwide referendum within 15 days.
Both houses met Saturday. During the session, People’s Assembly Speaker Saad al-Katatny said the constituent assembly should encompass all factions in society and not be aligned to a changeable parliamentary majority.
Islamists — the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis — make up 70 percent of the People’s Assembly and more than 80 percent of the upper house, the Shura Council.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
