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MENASource

Jun 13, 2012

Top News: Parliament Elects New Constituent Assembly

By Tarek Radwan

People’s Assembly Speaker Saad al-Katatny announced on Tuesday night the names of the Constituent Assembly members who would draft Egypt’s new constitution. Katatny said that 575 Parliament members voted out of 678 members from both houses of Parliament, an 84.8 percent participation rate. He said that 17 ballots were invalid, leaving 558 votes to determine […]

MENASource

Jun 13, 2012

Will Shafik be Disqualified?

By Salem Mostafa Kamel

Egypt’s two presidential candidates are racing neck-and-neck toward the run-off, but this long-awaited election could be brought to a grinding halt when Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) issues two potentially game-changing decisions on June 12. The first constitutional challenge, if successful, could invalidate the electoral law used in the recent parliamentary elections and lead to […]

MENASource

Jun 12, 2012

Top News: Non-Islamists Threaten Second Walkout from Constituent Assembly

By Tarek Radwan

A mere 24 hours before electing the 100 members of Egypt’s Constituent Assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution, The Egyptian Bloc parties – which include the Free Egyptians party, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party and the leftist Tagammu Party – announced on Monday that they would withdraw from the body so as to allow […]

MENASource

Jun 12, 2012

Egypt’s Constitutional Meltdown: Take 2

By Salem Mostafa Kamel

Just twenty-four hours after the passage of a new draft law meant to facilitate the formation of Egypt’s 100-member Constituent Assembly, liberals and leftists are accusing Islamists of monopolizing the constitution-writing process for a second time. The first attempt at forming a Constituent Assembly in March fell through after a walkout by non-Islamist and minority […]

MENASource

Jun 11, 2012

New Issue Brief: “Beyond the Ballot Box: Egypt’s Constitutional Challenge”

By Mara Revkin

All eyes are on the ballot box as Egypt prepares for the second round of the first post-Mubarak presidential election on June 16-17, a controversial run-off between the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP, the party founded by the Muslim Brotherhood) candidate Mohamed Morsi and Hosni Mubarak’s former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik, two of the most […]

MENASource

Jun 11, 2012

Egypt’s Pivotal Ten Days

By Michele Dunne

It is no exaggeration to say that events over the next ten days will determine whether Egypt’s troubled transition is headed into calmer waters or into a vortex.  If all goes well, by June 21 Egypt will have a new president recognized as freely elected and a 100-member constituent assembly that will begin the long-delayed […]

MENASource

Jun 11, 2012

Top News: Aboul Fotouh Endorses Mohamed Morsi

By Tarek Radwan

The campaign for eliminated presidential contender Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh released a statement on Sunday declaring its support for Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Mursi. The statement emphasised that backing Mursi, who heads up the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), represented the only way to defeat presidential finalist Ahmed Shafiq, ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister.

MENASource

Jun 11, 2012

The Economic Platforms of the Egyptian Presidential Candidates

By Mohsin Khan and Svetlana Milbert

Whoever emerges as the winner of the Egyptian presidential elections on June 16-17 will have to urgently address the state of the economy, which has sharply deteriorated since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak last year. Unemployment, inflation, currency crisis, and public sector debt are just some of the pressing issues that the newly elected president […]

MENASource

Jun 11, 2012

Egypt’s Injudicious Judges

By Mara Revkin

In recent weeks, the lines separating Egypt’s legal and political realm have gone from blurry to invisible. Some of the fiercest battles seen over the course of the transition have been played out in courtrooms, raising the question: Have judges replaced politicians as Egypt’s reigning power-brokers? Controversial verdicts in the trial of Hosni Mubarak and […]

MENASource

Jun 8, 2012

Judges Abandon Political Neutrality to Thwart Islamist Victory

By Mara Revkin

In recent weeks, the lines between Egypt’s legal and political realm have become increasingly blurred. Controversial verdicts in the trials of Hosni Mubarak and other former regime officials have brought protesters back to Tahrir Square by the thousands. Meanwhile, the Supreme Constitutional Court is expected to issue two potentially game-changing decisions on June 14: One […]