Egypt’s Panel Begins Vote on Draft Constitution

A panel in Egypt has begun voting on a series of constitutional amendments, a milestone in the country’s transition to democracy after a July coup.

The two days of voting, to be aired on state television, began Saturday. The 50-member committee will vote electronically on each of the 247 articles. Most of them are changes to existing portions of the constitution while some brand new additions.

The panel will hand in the draft to interim President Adly Mansour, who has a month to call for a public vote on it. That’s first step in a military-backed transition plan after the coup that ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

Egypt is scheduled to have parliamentarian and presidential elections next year.

Source: The Associated Press