(Khaled Desouki / AFP /Getty Images)
By Charlie Miller
Interim president Adly Mansour announced the framework of the commission tasked with amending the constitution, state-run Al-Ahram reported on Wednesday. Citing Article 29 of the constitutional declaration of 8th July, a commission comprising 50 members will be formed from a range of backgrounds and religious sects.
Citing a presidential statement, Al-Ahram reported that the commission will accept nominees from all walks of life, including from the Al-Azhar religious academy and the military. Participants in youth movements involved in the January 25th Revolution and the June 30th will also be eligible, provided they are under the age of 40, the statement continued. The Church is eligible to nominate a total of three candidates from across the various sects, and four main political parties will also be able to field nominees.
“Islamist” parties, Al-Ahram reported, will be able to nominate two candidates, as will “Liberal mainstream” parties, left-wing mainstream parties and other mainstream parties will be eligible to nominate one candidate each.
Representatives from the Egyptian Writers Union, Professional Federation of Trade Unions, the Supreme Council for Culture and the Fine and Applied Arts sector will also be able to put forward one nominee each, the report continued.
Labourers’ federations and trade unions will be eligible to field candidates; with one nominee allowed from the Lawyers’, Doctors’, Engineers’ syndicates and the Syndicate of Journalism.
Other organisations, named in the article as the Tourism Federation, the Union of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry will also be eligible to nominate one candidate respectively, as will the National Union of Students and the Federation of Non-Governmental Organisations.
The National Council for Women will forward one candidate, as will the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, the Council for Human Rights, Supreme Council of Universities and the National Council for Disability.
A candidate will also be nominated from both the armed forces and the police, the report continued.
10 nominees will be selected to represent Egypt’s geographical diversity, the report stated. “Public figures” from the Delta, Upper Egypt, Sinai, Matrouh and Nubia will be selected, Al-Ahram reported, however they must not have already been nominated to fill any of the aforementioned posts.
