Brotherhood delaying tactics?
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The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) used its parliamentary majority this week to abort any discussion over the way the constituent assembly tasked with writing the constitution will be formed.
An 83-page report prepared by the People's Assembly Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee on new guidelines for forming the constitution writing body was circulated on Sunday. It included details of legislation regulating the work of the constituent assembly, a law comprising 13 articles. Once in place such legislation would leave the work of the constituent assembly beyond any appeal to the administrative courts.
The proposed articles also stipulate that the constituent assembly finish drafting the constitution within one month of the new guidelines being issued, and mention it must represent all segments of Egyptian society.
Article four of the proposed law sets a 10-day period during which parliament can accept candidacy recommendations for assembly membership from a wide range of groups, including political parties, unions and syndicates.
On 10 April the constituent assembly approved less than three weeks earlier by the Islamist dominated parliament was suspended by administrative court order on the grounds that it was unfairly skewed towards the Muslim Brotherhood and its Salafist allies rather than encompassing a broadrange of opinions and interests.
The proposed law makes no mention of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) reissuing its call for a joint meeting of both houses of parliament to debate how the constituent assembly be formed.
"We do not need to begin from scratch since the 10 April court order did not question the right of parliament -- rather than SCAF -- to call a new meeting," said Mahmoud El-Khodeiri, chairman of the Legislative Committee. The proposed law entrusts People's Assembly Speaker Saad El-Katatni, the FJP's former secretary-general, with calling a joint parliamentary meeting. "This must take place within a week of the law being passed," says Article 5 of the law.
In a meeting held on 27 May liberal and leftist deputies accused FJP MPs of seeking to impose a constituent assembly able to circumvent appeals before administrative courts, giving Islamists a free hand.
"We are back to square one. This law goes against the spirit of April's court order," says MP Mustafa Bakri.
Free Egyptians Party MP Bassel Adel points out that the proposed law could be ruled unconstitutional since it all but ignores April's court order, not least the stipulation that the assembly should not include parliamentarians.
"The proposed law," insists Justice Party chair Mustafa El-Naggar, "is another step in the wrong direction." He accused the assembly's Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee of ignoring proposals on forming the assembly submitted by liberal parties.
"Once again the committee dumped proposals in the waste paper basket so as to give the FJP a free rein to form the assembly."
Wahid Abdel-Meguid, an independent MP who has acted as a channel between political forces over the formation of the assembly, says the Legislative Committee is "working unilaterally, largely disregarding what political forces have agreed upon".
The constitution was suspended shortly after Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign. A constitutional declaration was issued on 30 March last year, entrusting the two houses of parliament with forming a constituent assembly to write the country's first post-25 January Revolution's constitution. This task was bogged down in a quagmire, with most secular forces accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of exploiting its majority in parliament to manipulate the assembly and impose a religious agenda on the constitution.
Now secular forces believe that the Muslim Brotherhood is wasting time until a new president is elected.
"They believe that their candidate, Mohamed Mursi, will be elected and then they will use their powers to draft the constitution in the way they like, turning Egypt into an Islamist state," says Bakri.
In a press conference on Tuesday Mursi promised the constituent assembly would include all political stripes.
"I will make sure the next constitution truly represents all Egyptians. Parliament will establish new criteria for the assembly by reducing the number of MPs sitting on it, and I will work to ensure the assembly is established very soon."
But, warns Bakri, pointing out that Mursi is the presidential candidate in an election the Brotherhood said it would not contest, the "Muslim Brotherhood always does the opposite of what it promises."
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