July 10, 2013
In Blog
Egypt’s Tamarod slams new constitutional declaration as ‘dictatorial’ |
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Tamarod says constitutional declaration grants President too many powers in ‘setback for revolution.’ |
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Middle East Online | |||||
CAIRO – Egypt’s Tamarod campaign which launched the protests that prompted the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi on Tuesday slammed the country’s interim charter as “dictatorial.” “It is impossible to accept the (constitutional declaration — C.D.) because it founds a new dictatorship. We will hand over to the (military-installed caretaker) president an amendment to the C.D,” the group said on its official Twitter account. On Monday, Egypt’s interim president Adly Mansour adopted a temporary constitution, almost a week after he was appointed by the military to head the Arab world’s most populous country following Morsi’s overthrow. The declaration outlines the president’s powers and lays out a timetable for the transition which is to last around six months until presidential elections are held. Tamarod, a grassroots movements which persuaded millions of Egyptians to take to the streets to call for Morsi’s ouster, was a key player in army-sponsored talks aimed at defining the country’s roadmap. The group said the constitutional declaration granted the president too many powers in a “setback for the revolution.” Egypt’s military has promised a quick return to civilian rule. The decree’s wording, however, gives the interim rulers room to further draw out the parliamentary vote, said a constitutional expert. “The way it was worded suggests that they plan to have the entire election within that timeframe,” said constitutional lawyer Zaid Al-Ali. But the 33-article constitutional decree was “vague” enough to allow Mansour to interpret the conduct of election as merely the start of registration for candidates, he said. That could add another two months for candidates to register, and another month for a staggered election. |