(Photo by Ahmed Al-Malky)
The Constituent Assembly has opted to write a new constitution, announced assembly head Amr Moussa during the body’s Wednesday meeting.
According to Moussa, the assembly’s legal committee discussed the validity of writing a new constitution, and found that it would not violate the constitutional decree that had formed the assembly.
Moussa added that while the assembly is initially against retaining the Shura council, “every issue is still discussable for the moment.”
The assembly’s spokesman, Mohamed Salmawy, said on Wednesday that the political regime sub-committee discussed forming a supreme authority for media regulation.
The authority, according to Salmawy, would be responsible for “protecting freedom of speech and protecting media outlets and press entities from monopolistic practices”
Salmawy said the committee had agreed to form a national council to regulate state-owned media and press entities, and that the aforementioned supreme authority for media regulation would not supervise the national council.
The spokesman also said it had been suggested that independent media entities be subject to the Central Auditing Organization, a proposal which was later rejected. The committee will, in any case, discuss regulations for the funding of these entities, Salmawy noted.
The committee had also discussed the allocation of quotas for women and Copts in the parliament, he added.
The spokesman meanwhile denied claims that members Mohamed Aboul Ghar and Massaad Abufajr had withdrawn from the assembly. He also denied that Al-Azhar had been asked to write an article as a replacement for Article 219, or that the presidency had been asked to amend the roadmap.
Additional Reporting by Ibrahim Al Masry
