Feb 15: Army sets up a constitution committe and a rough timetable
The military officers governing Egypt convened a panel of jurists on Tuesday to revise the country’s constitution, giving the panel, which includes a former lawmaker from the Muslim Brotherhood, just 10 days to complete its work in an early sign of the military’s apparent seriousness in quickly moving the country to civilian rule.
Members of the committee include three constitutional law experts and three judges, as well as a representative of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's prominent opposition group.
The panel of eight people is headed by a former judge, Tareq el-Bishri, and includes a Coptic Christian judge and three experts in constitutional law.
“The committee is technical and very balanced,” Mr. Saleh said. “It has no political color, except me, since I was a member of Parliament. Tantawi told us try and finish as fast as we can.”
Bikyamisr:
Egypt’s newly appointed constitutional committee said they will announce the widely anticipated reforms to the nation by Sunday, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat news agency reported. Sunday marks the end of the 10 days allotted time frame, which the army granted the legal committee to amend several articles in the constitution.
To be included in the reforms are article 76 determining the terms of presidential nominations, article 77 on the length of the presidential term, article 88 that organizes judicial supervision of elections, in addition to article 179 that gives the country’s president the power to refer any terrorism suspect to be tried by any court of law mentioned in the Constitution, which opens the door to military trials for civilians
The committee will also look over articles regarding the legitimacy of Parliamentary membership and codes that organizes the lower and upper houses of Parliament.
The miliatry prefers to deal with young (and weak) leaders, not politicians like Baradai
But, the diplomat said, it remained to be seen whether a swift transition to democracy was possible. “The issue is whether this is the best thing or not the best thing,” he said.
Some of the young protest organizers who met with the generals said they were troubled that the military seemed cool to the idea of negotiating with Mr. ElBaradei, a more experienced figure whom the organizers have chosen as their point man for talks.
“We tried to tell them they should, but they weren’t welcoming to him,” said Mr. el-Ghazaly Harb, a 32-year-old surgeon. “We hope it is not definitive.
The choice of a MB member and a latent sympathiser as members of the constitution committee has caused criticism by secularists - Issndar el-Amrani in MY:
The Supreme Military Council’s decision to appoint the respected jurist Tariq al-Bishri as head of the committee in charge of overhauling the constitution might have raised a few eyebrows, both because of al-Bishri’s track record as a dissident and his ideological proximity to the MB. But the appointment of Sobhi Saleh, a former Brotherhood MP in Alexandria, to the same committee has sent an even more worrying message: that the army is drafting the MB to help calm down the national euphoria by giving the group a privileged position in amending the constitution. Civil society groups have already decried Mr Saleh’s appointment as well as that of several undistinguished jurists best-known for their support for the deposed regime--a move that will revive longstanding perceptions of a symbiotic relationship between the regime and MB at the expense of public interest.
Jonathan Wright on the other hand welcomes the choice of the committee, basing himself on a personal kn owledge of the committee president, Tariq al-Bishri:
the emphasis he placed on the separation of powers, on the need to dilute the powers of the overbearing presidency, and on community and civil society as alternatives and counterweights to the centralised state. The choice is a very positive one and rather a surprise coming from what many people assumed was a rather staid and unimaginative military council. The inclusion of an active Muslim Brotherhood member on the committee also suggests it is not quite as hostile to a political role for the Brotherhood
The military officers governing Egypt convened a panel of jurists on Tuesday to revise the country’s constitution, giving the panel, which includes a former lawmaker from the Muslim Brotherhood, just 10 days to complete its work in an early sign of the military’s apparent seriousness in quickly moving the country to civilian rule.
Members of the committee include three constitutional law experts and three judges, as well as a representative of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's prominent opposition group.
The panel of eight people is headed by a former judge, Tareq el-Bishri, and includes a Coptic Christian judge and three experts in constitutional law.
“The committee is technical and very balanced,” Mr. Saleh said. “It has no political color, except me, since I was a member of Parliament. Tantawi told us try and finish as fast as we can.”
Bikyamisr:
Egypt’s newly appointed constitutional committee said they will announce the widely anticipated reforms to the nation by Sunday, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat news agency reported. Sunday marks the end of the 10 days allotted time frame, which the army granted the legal committee to amend several articles in the constitution.
To be included in the reforms are article 76 determining the terms of presidential nominations, article 77 on the length of the presidential term, article 88 that organizes judicial supervision of elections, in addition to article 179 that gives the country’s president the power to refer any terrorism suspect to be tried by any court of law mentioned in the Constitution, which opens the door to military trials for civilians
The committee will also look over articles regarding the legitimacy of Parliamentary membership and codes that organizes the lower and upper houses of Parliament.
The miliatry prefers to deal with young (and weak) leaders, not politicians like Baradai
But, the diplomat said, it remained to be seen whether a swift transition to democracy was possible. “The issue is whether this is the best thing or not the best thing,” he said.
Some of the young protest organizers who met with the generals said they were troubled that the military seemed cool to the idea of negotiating with Mr. ElBaradei, a more experienced figure whom the organizers have chosen as their point man for talks.
“We tried to tell them they should, but they weren’t welcoming to him,” said Mr. el-Ghazaly Harb, a 32-year-old surgeon. “We hope it is not definitive.
The choice of a MB member and a latent sympathiser as members of the constitution committee has caused criticism by secularists - Issndar el-Amrani in MY:
The Supreme Military Council’s decision to appoint the respected jurist Tariq al-Bishri as head of the committee in charge of overhauling the constitution might have raised a few eyebrows, both because of al-Bishri’s track record as a dissident and his ideological proximity to the MB. But the appointment of Sobhi Saleh, a former Brotherhood MP in Alexandria, to the same committee has sent an even more worrying message: that the army is drafting the MB to help calm down the national euphoria by giving the group a privileged position in amending the constitution. Civil society groups have already decried Mr Saleh’s appointment as well as that of several undistinguished jurists best-known for their support for the deposed regime--a move that will revive longstanding perceptions of a symbiotic relationship between the regime and MB at the expense of public interest.
Jonathan Wright on the other hand welcomes the choice of the committee, basing himself on a personal kn owledge of the committee president, Tariq al-Bishri:
the emphasis he placed on the separation of powers, on the need to dilute the powers of the overbearing presidency, and on community and civil society as alternatives and counterweights to the centralised state. The choice is a very positive one and rather a surprise coming from what many people assumed was a rather staid and unimaginative military council. The inclusion of an active Muslim Brotherhood member on the committee also suggests it is not quite as hostile to a political role for the Brotherhood
Al-Bishri is portrayed by Nisr al-Nasr as
- a champion of judicial independence
- profoundly antagonistic to the military tribunals and special courts as well as the state of emergency that the government has employed over the past decade
- a nationalist
- as s-o who wants to continue the policies of the provision of social welfare in ways that mirror concerns of a generation of European Social Democrats and Egyptian nationalists when he was a young man. Bishri will probably push for a strongly independent judiciary
- and who - believes that most Egyptian law is already compliant with shariah and he generally argues that the role of shariah in Egyptian law is similar to that of natural law in European legal systems: it provides judges (not so much legislators) with cues about what to do when the legislature has been silent or incoherent. He does not seem inclined to allow the ulama (Islamic legal scholars) to interpret law for the regular judiciary except (and this is an important exception) in cases in which legislation has given them that authority
First few steps to dismantle the old regime:
The authorities in Egypt have arrested three ex-ministers for corruption including the former Interior Minister, Habib el-Adly, judicial sources say.
Mr Adly and the ex-ministers for housing and tourism, Ahmed Maghrabi and Zuheir Garana, were detained for 15 days along with steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz.
Charges were filed against Mr Maghrabi, Mr Garana and Mr Ezz last week, along with former Trade and Industry Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid, who also denies misconduct.
Allegations against the four men arrested on Thursday range from money laundering to abuse of authority and squandering state wealth
Mr Adly was in charge of police during the massive demonstrations against President Mubarak in Cairo and other cities and is blamed by some for the deadly use of force by riot police against protesters.
Prosecutors froze the bank accounts of Mr Adli and his family members on accusations that over 4m Egyptian pounds (£420,000; $680,000) were transferred to his personal account by the head of a contractor company, Reuters news agency reports, quoting Egyptian state TV
- a champion of judicial independence
- profoundly antagonistic to the military tribunals and special courts as well as the state of emergency that the government has employed over the past decade
- a nationalist
- as s-o who wants to continue the policies of the provision of social welfare in ways that mirror concerns of a generation of European Social Democrats and Egyptian nationalists when he was a young man. Bishri will probably push for a strongly independent judiciary
- and who - believes that most Egyptian law is already compliant with shariah and he generally argues that the role of shariah in Egyptian law is similar to that of natural law in European legal systems: it provides judges (not so much legislators) with cues about what to do when the legislature has been silent or incoherent. He does not seem inclined to allow the ulama (Islamic legal scholars) to interpret law for the regular judiciary except (and this is an important exception) in cases in which legislation has given them that authority
First few steps to dismantle the old regime:
The authorities in Egypt have arrested three ex-ministers for corruption including the former Interior Minister, Habib el-Adly, judicial sources say.
Mr Adly and the ex-ministers for housing and tourism, Ahmed Maghrabi and Zuheir Garana, were detained for 15 days along with steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz.
Charges were filed against Mr Maghrabi, Mr Garana and Mr Ezz last week, along with former Trade and Industry Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid, who also denies misconduct.
Allegations against the four men arrested on Thursday range from money laundering to abuse of authority and squandering state wealth
Mr Adly was in charge of police during the massive demonstrations against President Mubarak in Cairo and other cities and is blamed by some for the deadly use of force by riot police against protesters.
Prosecutors froze the bank accounts of Mr Adli and his family members on accusations that over 4m Egyptian pounds (£420,000; $680,000) were transferred to his personal account by the head of a contractor company, Reuters news agency reports, quoting Egyptian state TV
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