Parliament Speaker Saad al-Katatny on Wednesday adjourned the session discussing a bill that would prevent former regime figures from running for the presidency, referring it to a joint session of the Constitutional Affairs and the Proposals and Complaints committees for consideration as soon as possible.
According to the bill proposed by MP Essam Sultan, which amends the Presidential Elections Law, those who served during the last five years before Mubarak's resignation in leading government positions would be banned for ten years from running for the posts of president, vice president, prime minister or minister.
In the session, MP Mostafa Bakry questioned the validity of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee’s meeting in which the draft law was amended to extend the deprivation period to ten years, on the grounds that it did not reach a quorum, with only ten out of 39 members approving the bill, whereas the bylaws stipulate the consent of the absolute majority.
Katatny confirmed that the meeting was attended by 31 members.
MP Mohamed Abu Hamed rejected the bill and requested to apply it only to those convicted in corruption cases, warning that the bill could be construed as targeting a particular person.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
