Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Cairo (Agenzia Fides) - One of the causes of the strong tension in past days has resulted in clashes in Cairo, Alexandria and other centers of Egypt, is the document submitted on 1 November by the Supreme Military Council (which in fact is the dominus of the Country after the fall of Mubarak) on the so-called supra-constitutional principles. With this act the military intend to carve out a political role even after the approval of the new Constitution which will have to be drafted by the Constituent Assembly.
Among the articles contained in the document there is the article that foresees that the military are the only subjects to approve the army’s budject, which should not be discussed in any court of Parliament. It also provides that the military may reject certain articles of the new Constitution, if the army considered them inconsistent with the Constitutional Declaration issued by the Military Council last March.
The document presented by the military also proposes that the Constituent Assembly is only formed by 20% of members of Parliament, with a maximum of five representatives for each party. The remaining 80% should instead be elected from among the representatives of civil society, outside the Parliament.
In the elections scheduled as from November 28 (until now confirmed despite the incidents), to the Lower House of Parliament will be elected (the vote will take place in different periods, in different areas of the Country, ending January 3, 2012), while between January and March there will be elections for the Upper House. Then the new Parliament will elect the Constituent Assembly, which will have the task to draft the new text and lead the Country towards the presidential elections.
The attempt by the military to influence the composition of the Constituent Assembly has raised the ire of the Islamist parties, but also the most secular forces do not take kindly to the attempt of the armed forces to carve out a political role above what the new Constitution will determine. Added to this are the arrests and intimidation of various political activists from the army and police, while the suspects remain on any collusion between the military and the extremists who attacked religious minorities (especially the Copts).
The controversy raised by the document dated November 1 forced the Military Council to abandon the most controversial issues and to announce that it is just a guide, not a binding project, but this was not enough to dampen tensions. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 21/11/2011)
