CAIRO: Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group dominating parliamentary elections, says it will boycott a council appointed by the country’s military rulers to oversee drafting of the new constitution.
In theory, the new parliament will be entrusted with forming a 100-member assembly to write the constitution. But the ruling generals say the parliament will not be representative, so they are appointing a council to protect the process of drafting a constitution from extremist religious ideas.
Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan said Thursday his group will not be part of the council because it will deprive the parliament of its authority.
Islamist groups have won around 68 percent of seats in the first round of elections.
