SCAF rejects Egypt's constitution panel

The advisory council to Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), chaired by Sameh Ashour, announced on Monday its rejection of the formation of the Constituent Assembly by the members of the People’s Assembly and Shura Council, or upper and lower houses of the Egyptian parliament. The council called on the military junta to issue a new constitutional declaration provided with an article to outline rules and regulations for the selection of the members of the Constitutent Assembly, which “ensures the representation of all spectra of the Egyptian people, without the dominance of a particular political party or the exclusions of other parties.” The move has angered the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), with their Cairo office telling Egyptian news portal Bikyamasr.com on Tuesday “that this is exactly why we are demanding an end to military rule. It is obvious the military is in charge and we will fight this at every turn.” The Advisory Council explained that its members decided to convene again, after attempts by a “certain political force to exclude other forces and parties from the formation of the Constituent Assembly,” and condemned the selection criteria outlined by the parliamentary majority and said that it “lacks professional competence.”  The council issued a statement read by Ashour during a press conference, saying: “As the political forces rejects the criteria for the formation of the Constituent Assmebly, the council also announces its rejection and affirms its solidarity with all political forces, which withdrew from the Constituent Assembly, namely Al-Azhar and the Orthodox Church and representatives of political forces and public figures.”  A number of figures representing numerous political forces, human rights organisations, public figures, and representatives of the Federation of Trade Unions, which met with the Advisory Council stressed the need to “correct the formation criteria by the military junta, through the issuance of a consitutional declaration amending Article 60, which allows the MPs to form the Assembly.”