New Egyptian Constitution Shouldn’t Be ‘Eternal’: Moussa

The new Egyptian constitution should not be an “eternal” document, head of the drafting committee Amr Moussa said on Thursday, arguing that the charter should continue to develop, to reflect people’s demands and aspirations.

The 2012 constitution, drafted by an Islamist-dominated assembly and passed by national referendum despite opposition from many political groups, was suspended when the military removed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July following mass protests against his turbulent year-long rule.

Amr Moussa, who served as foreign minister for ten years under former president Hosni Mubarak, told a diplomats’ club forum that the 50-member committee responsible for drafting the new constitution was still considering what parliamentary quota to set for workers and farmers.

The current rules state that 50 percent of parliamentary members must be either workers or farmers, but the definitions of the two categories remained loose over the years.

Officials say the final version of the constitution will be completed by 3 December and will be submitted to interim President Adly Mansour for approval. It will then be put to a national referendum.

A parliamentary election, expected in February or March, would follow the endorsement of the national charter, with presidential polls in early summer.

Moussa said a national commission would oversee both votes.

Moussa, a former Arab League secretary-general and Egyptian foreign minister, told reporters that he had not sought any executive role in the government.

Moussa ran for the presidency in the 2012 elections which were won by Morsi. The former diplomat polled fifth.

Source : Ahram