The People’s Assembly has approved amendments to the 2005 law regulating presidential elections aimed at promoting transparency in the upcoming presidential election. The amended law will be referred to the Supreme Constitutional Court to ensure its compliance with last year’s Constitutional Declaration. The amendments include a new clause added to Article 30 specifying that each sub-committee announce the results after counting the votes. During debate over amendments, the FJP MPs rejected a proposal to revise article 28 of the Constitutional Declaration which makes the decisions of the Presidential Election Commission immune from appeal. The Presidential Election Commission is expected to announce the official schedule for the presidential election later on February 29. 

ELECTIONS: 

1) The newly elected Shura Council chose an FJP member, pharmacology professor Ahmed Fahmy, as speaker of the assembly. FJP members hold just under half of all seats in the 508-seat People’s Assembly and 106 of the Shura Council’s 180 elected seats. [al-Ahram, English, 2/28/2012]

2) The People’s Assembly has approved amendments to the 2005 law regulating presidential elections aimed at promoting transparency in the upcoming presidential election.  The amended law will be referred to the Supreme Constitutional Court to ensure its compliance with last year’s Constitutional Declaration. The amendments include a new clause added to Article 30 specifying that each sub-committee announce the results after counting the votes. During debate over amendments, the FJP MPs rejected a proposal to revise article 28 of the Constitutional Declaration which makes the decisions of the Presidential Election Commission immune from appeal. The Presidential Election Commission is expected to announce the official schedule for the presidential election later on February 29. [al-Ahram, English, 2/28/2012] [al-Masry al-Youm, Arabic, 2/28/2012]

NGO INVESTIGATIONS: 

3) In response to Egypt’s adjournment of the NGO trial until April 26, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said of the delay, “We are concerned that this issue is not yet settled." Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman met with Egyptian Ambassador Sameh Shoukry on February 27 in an effort to “resolve the current situation as quickly as possible,” she said. [State Dept, English, 2/27/2012] [Daily Briefing, English, 2/27/2012] 

ECONOMY: 

4) Finance Minister Momtaz al-Saeed called for an estimated LE36.1 billion worth of ‘private funds’ to be integrated into Egypt’s state budget.  According to al-Saeed, the  government was currently in the process of preparing a draft law that would gradually incorporate these private funds—including revenues raised through means other than customs or taxes, such as hospital fees or parking tickets –into the state treasury over two phases. [al-Ahram, English, 2/28/2012] 

5) A new business association, founded by a prominent Muslim Brotherhood member Hassan Malek, will launch its activities with an international business conference scheduled for March 24. The new group, the Egyptian Business Development Association, aims to “enable businessmen to contribute effectively in boosting the Egyptian economy by attracting and encouraging investment, human development, providing projects and developmental solutions along with the participation in decision making and economic legislation,” according to its website. [al-Ahram, English, 2/28/2012]

Photo Credit: Reuters 

 

Image: 2012-634659589192884445-288.jpg