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| Africa North |
| Nour Party demands revised criteria for constitutional committee members |
| 2013-08-13 |
| [Al Ahram] The Salafist Nour Party released a statement on Monday demanding that the criteria for choosing the 50-member committee entitled to finalise amendments to the 2012 constitution be revised. On 3 July, army chief Abdel Fattah El-Sisi unveiled a political transition roadmap outlining a timeline for early presidential elections following the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi. The roadmap, announced in the presence of several political figures -- including a Nour Party member, the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayeb, and Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II -- includes the suspension of the Islamist-backed 2012 constitution pending amendment by a broadly-representative committee. Last week the presidency announced the criterea for selecting that committee. The Nour Party stated its objections to the fact that political parties will make up only five of the 50 representatives in the committee, arguing that this follows "[ousted president Hosni] Mubarak's footsteps" in weakening the role of parties in political life. Nevertheless, the statement assured that the Nour Party will participate in the 50-member committee despite its reservations regarding the committee make-up. The statement argued that only those articles which "urgently" require amending should be addressed by the committee, including those dictating the president's and the prime minister's powers and those regarding election law. Further changes should be only carried out by elected bodies, the statement asserted. The party also reiterated its stand against amending articles regarding Egypt's "Islamic identity." On Thursday, Nour spokesperson Nader Bakkar said in a televised interview with CNN that his party will reconsider its support for the army-backed political roadmap if the constitutional committee changes Article 221 of the 2012 constitution. |
| Posted by:Fred |