Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) yesterday adjourned till 24 September ruling on the constitutionality of the constituent assembly which is currently writing Egypt’s new constitution
Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) yesterday adjourned till 24 September ruling on the constitutionality of the constituent assembly which is currently writing Egypt’s new constitution. The assembly was selected by the People’s Assembly which was dissolved by court order on grounds that the election law which brought it in was non-constitutional.
The new draft constitution includes articles which promise to make it predominantly Islamist. This has given rise to protest by many of the non-Islamist members of the assembly. The most recent objection by the Coptic Orthodox Church was against an article which proposed to make Islamic zakat (alms) compulsory, and to set up a zakat establishment to utilise the money to serve the “needy”. Seeing in this an enforcement of Islamic practices on non-Muslims and an attempt to further Islamicise the State, the Church threatened to withdraw form the assembly if its objection is overruled.
For its part, the constituent assembly yesterday convened to discuss the replacement of resigned or withdrawn members according to a standby list.
Beginning next week, the assembly should start the phase of finalising the draft constitution. One by one the draft articles should be cast for voting by the assembly. If no consensus is reached—consensus is determined according to no less than a 67 per cent vote—the article is reformulated and should then earn a minimum 57 per cent vote to pass.
Once the draft is finalised, it should be approved in a public referendum vote for it to be enacted as Egypt’s new constitution.
WATANI International
31 July 2012