The SCAF issued a draft set of supra-constitutional principles on November 1 at the end of a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmi and attended by 500 representatives of major parties and movements (with the exception of the Brotherhood and most Islamist parties, which boycotted the meeting). The principles have been heavily criticized for giving the military exceptional powers, including the right to determine what role the constituent assembly will play in formulating a new constitution as well as the right to interfere in the drafting process itself.
PROTESTS:
The Democratic Alliance joined by the major Islamist forces – the Brotherhood, as well as the Wasat, Adl, Asala and Building and Development Parties – has threatened to stage a million-man demonstration on November 18 to condemn the supra-constitutional principles announced by Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmi, unless the government agrees to rescind the draft document. [Al-Masry al-Youm, Arabic, 11/2/2011]
Supporters of Ayman Nour, Mohamed ElBaradei and the Front for Peaceful Change are calling for a solidarity protest in Talaat Harb Square on November 3 to express support for Nour after a court ruling in mid-October found that the former presidential candidate is not eligible to compete in upcoming elections because of a prior conviction on forgery charges. [Al-Shorouk, Arabic, 11/2/2011]
PARTIES:
The Freedom and Justice Party’s deputy secretary general, Ahmed Shehata, said that Egypt’s next president should have no authority over the judiciary, adding that the judiciary should be subject to oversight by the Supreme Judicial Council rather than the Minister of Justice. [Al-Ahram, English, 11/2/2011]
CONSTITUTIONAL DEBATE:
The SCAF issued a draft set of supra-constitutional principles on November 1 at the end of a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmi and attended by 500 representatives of major parties and movements (with the exception of the Brotherhood and most Islamist parties, which boycotted the meeting). The principles have been heavily criticized for giving the military exceptional powers, including the right to determine what role the constituent assembly will play in formulating a new constitution as well as the right to interfere in the drafting process itself. The principles also empower the military to form a new constituent assembly if the one selected by the parliament fails to draft a constitution within 6 months. Major political forces including the April 6 Youth Movement, the Adl Party, the Wasat Party and Mohamed ElBaradei have already condemned the principles, and the Brotherhood has called directly for al-Selmi’s resignation. However, the Wafd Party and Tagammu issued statements approving the draft. [Al-Ahram, English, 11/2/2011] [Al-Shorouk, Arabic, 11/2/2011]
The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) held a press conference on November 2 following the party’s decision to boycott a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmi and political forces to discuss supra-constitutional principles proposed by the SCAF in a new communiqué. The FJP claims that the principles grant the military too much power over the formation of a constituent assembly and drafting of the new constitution. [Al-Ahram, English, 11/2/2011]
CABINET/SCAF:
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf defended the SCAF’s recent decisions and insisted that the military is “protecting” the transition period. He also claimed that the government is working to implement structural reforms to create jobs, particularly for low-income workers. [Al-Masry al-Youm, English, 11/2/2011]
The SCAF will pardon 334 detainees convicted in military courts, according to a statement on the council’s Facebook page. Criticism of the system of military courts has intensified in recent days following the detention of activist Alaa Abd El Fattah for 15 days pending investigations into charges of insulting the armed forces. Human rights activists claim that 12,000 Egyptians have been tried in military courts since the SCAF assumed power on February 11, 2011. [Al-Masry al-Youm, English, 11/2/2011]
Field Marshal Tantawi announced the appointment of a new chairman of the state-run Al-Ahram publishing company and said that a new Supreme Press Council headed by the president of the speaker of the Shura Council will be formed after the upcoming parliamentary elections. Tantawi also announced the appointment of nine new university presidents, responding to widespread demands for the dismissal of Mubarak-appointed administrators. [Al-Masry al-Youm, Arabic, 11/2/2011]
The National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) issued a report recommending that the government form an independent fact-finding panel to investigate violent clashes outside of Maspero in October and called for an investigation into state television’s coverage of the incident. However, the NCHR report also concluded that military police officers stationed outside of Maspero did not use live ammunition against protesters, and only fired blank shots into the air. [Al-Masry al-Youm, English, 11/2/2011]
ELECTIONS:
The Higher Electoral Commission has issued suggestions on voting procedures for Egyptians abroad, following last week’s administrative court ruling granting expatriates the right to vote. HEC Chairman Abdel Moaz Ibrahim has recommended amending Article 39 of the constitutional declaration to include a provision for voting at embassies and consulates under the supervision of diplomats rather than judges and said that the committee is exploring the possibility of allowing voters to register with their passports instead of national ID cards. [Al-Ahram, English, 11/2/2011]
ECONOMY:
Finance Minister Hazem al-Beblawi said that Egypt is open to IMF funding, but the country has not made any formal request for aid since turning down a financing package in June. An IMF team is in Cairo until the end of this week to assess financing needs, but an IMF official said last week that the Fund had not received any official request for assistance from the Egyptian government, and Al-Beblawi confirmed that “there is no formal negotiation yet.” [Reuters, English, 11/2/2011]
The International Monetary Fund may create a six-month credit line for countries facing shocks, including Egypt and Tunisia. The instrument would be the latest in a set of IMF tools intended to increase liquidity as Europe’s crisis threatens to spread beyond Greece. [Bloomberg, English, 11/2/2011]
EGYPT-ISRAEL RELATIONS:
Foreign Ministry Director General Rafael Barak will travel to Cairo on November 2 in a bid to negotiate the return of the Israeli ambassador to Egypt. Barak is the most senior Foreign Ministry official to visit Cairo since protesters tried to storm the Israeli embassy in September. [Haaretz, English, 11/2/2011]
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