Archive for Advisory Council

Mansour Hassan, stalwart of former President Anwar Sadat’s regime, dies

by admin
December 22nd, 2012

 

Mansour Hassan, a veteran Egyptian politician who headed an advisory council to the once ruling military generals, passed away on Saturday. He was 75 years old.

His son Mohamed told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Hassan passed away Saturday afternoon, adding that the time of his funeral will be decided soon.

Hassan was born in 1937 and rose to become one of former President Anwar Sadat’s top aides in the 1970s. He was one of the main figures involved in founding the National Democratic Party in 1978. Sadat appointed him minister of information and culture in 1970 and minister of state for presidential affairs in 1981.

He was the chairman of the Advisory Council of Egypt between 8 September 2011 and 8 March 2012 and was close to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

Last March, he announced his intention to run in the first presidential elections after the fall of Mubarak, an announcement that was widely criticized by liberal and secular forces, due to his close ties with SCAF.

Tags: , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Political leaders deny involvement in SCAF’s constitution supplement

by admin
June 21st, 2012

A number of public figures and political parties have denied they participated in meetings with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri on Sunday to help draft or come to an agreement on the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration. 

The parties and figures accused the Muslim Brotherhood of issuing a false statement with the intent to discredit them because they reject a religious state and do not support the Brotherhood's presidential candidate Mohamed Morsy.

A number of social networking sites published a statement saying a meeting on 17 June involving SCAF generals and Ganzouri ended with agreement on four points, the most important of which was the issuance of the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration.

The statement named those supposedly responsible for drafting the supplement: Major General Mamdouh Shahin; former head of the military's Advisory Council Mohamed Nour Farahat; Lawyers Syndicate President Sameh Ashour; former judge Mohamed al-Dakroury; former deputy prime ministers Yehia al-Gamal and Ali al-Selmy; and constitutional law professors Mohamed al-Zahaby and Shawky al-Sayed. The chairmen of seven parties, namely, Wafd, Egyptian Social Democratic, Free Egyptians, Tagammu, Democratic Front, Ghad and Modern Egypt, as well as representatives from the Egypt National Party, Arab Democratic Nasserist Party and the Arab Justice and Equality Party also were said to have participated.

Selmy described the online statement as bogus and said he did not attend the meeting. In a statement to Al-Masry Al-Youm, he denied any relation to the SCAF-issued supplement to the Constitutional Declaration, which broadened the military's powers and restricted those of the next president after a court order dissolved Parliament last week. He went on to say that the party chairmen’s signatures found on the document were taken from a previous meeting between Armed Forces Chief of Staff Sami Anan and the party heads in October.

Ashour, who is also head of the Advisory Council, issued a statement yesterday titled “No one will scare us,” in which he denied any involvement in drafting the supplement. He also accused Islamists of preparing the document, which he described as false, to defame him.

Ashour said he would not respond to these actions and would take no legal action against them.

Ahmed Khairy, a member of the Political Bureau of the Free Egyptians Party, denied the involvement of party heads in any meetings with the SCAF on Sunday concerned with the supplement. He said the party adheres to its declared position of rejecting the supplement and the restriction of the new president’s authorities.

Several other parties also issued statements denying that they participated in or were invited to attend the meeting.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

FJP boycotts meeting with SCAF, rejects amendment to constitutional declaration

by admin
June 5th, 2012

The Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, said that it will boycott a meeting between the military council and political powers on Tuesday. The meeting will address the Advisory Council’s proposed supplementary Constitutional Declaration, including an amendment to Article 60 of the current Constitutional Declaration, and the formation of the Constituent Assembly.

On its Facebook page, the party called upon all Egyptians to take part in a million-man protest for the "protection of the revolution" to make sure that the revolution goes on and achieves its goals.

The FJP reiterated its rejection of any constitutional amendments, confirming that it will continue to consult with other political parties and powers in a bid to reach a consensus on the Constituent Assembly to draft Egypt's new constitution.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

 

Tags: , , , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Advisory Council asks SCAF to issue new constitutional amendment on Constituent Assembly

by admin
June 4th, 2012

The Advisory Council called for a supplement to the Constitutional Declaration that would amend Article 60, which deals with the formation of the Constituent Assembly intended to draft Egypt's first post-Mubarak constitution.

During their meeting with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces on Monday, the Advisory Council demanded that the amendment stipulate that Parliament would not choose the members of the assembly and that parliamentarians could not sit on the assembly, state-run newspaper Al-Ahram said.



According to state-run news service MENA, the council proposed that a new constitutional declaration be issued naming the members of the assembly in order to assure its independence. 



“A proposal was submitted to form a Constituent Assembly in a new constitutional declaration, which would be based on the opinion of political and national movements," Sameh Ashour, the head of the Advisory Council, said in a press conference after the meeting.

According to Ashour, the assembly is attempting to resolve the dispute regarding the Constituent Assembly’s formation, especially as the transitional period will soon come to an end, leaving Egypt without a constitution. 



When asked about the possibility of Parliament objecting to the proposal submitted by the council, Ashour said, “We have submitted the proposal to the SCAF, who promised to examine it. We have nothing to do with what happens in Parliament. We put forward our proposal because time has been wasted during the current impasse.”



Ashour anticipated that an amendment to Article 60 would be finalized soon, as the SCAF is expected to transfer power to a civilian president on 30 June.

Article 60 of the Constitutional Declaration, issued in March 2011, stipulates that Parliament would elect the Constituent Assembly. The Advisory Council has repeatedly called for the article’s amendment to ensure that the constitution-drafting process is not monopolized by one political group, especially as Parliament is dominated by Islamists.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Advisory Council asks SCAF to issue new constitutional amendment on Constituent Assembly

by admin
June 4th, 2012

The Advisory Council called for a supplement to the Constitutional Declaration that would amend Article 60, which deals with the formation of the Constituent Assembly intended to draft Egypt's first post-Mubarak constitution.

During their meeting with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces on Monday, the Advisory Council demanded that the amendment stipulate that Parliament would not choose the members of the assembly and that parliamentarians could not sit on the assembly, state-run newspaper Al-Ahram said.



According to state-run news service MENA, the council proposed that a new constitutional declaration be issued naming the members of the assembly in order to assure its independence. 



“A proposal was submitted to form a Constituent Assembly in a new constitutional declaration, which would be based on the opinion of political and national movements," Sameh Ashour, the head of the Advisory Council, said in a press conference after the meeting.

According to Ashour, the assembly is attempting to resolve the dispute regarding the Constituent Assembly’s formation, especially as the transitional period will soon come to an end, leaving Egypt without a constitution. 



When asked about the possibility of Parliament objecting to the proposal submitted by the council, Ashour said, “We have submitted the proposal to the SCAF, who promised to examine it. We have nothing to do with what happens in Parliament. We put forward our proposal because time has been wasted during the current impasse.”



Ashour anticipated that an amendment to Article 60 would be finalized soon, as the SCAF is expected to transfer power to a civilian president on 30 June.

Article 60 of the Constitutional Declaration, issued in March 2011, stipulates that Parliament would elect the Constituent Assembly. The Advisory Council has repeatedly called for the article’s amendment to ensure that the constitution-drafting process is not monopolized by one political group, especially as Parliament is dominated by Islamists.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

MPs angry over criticism of Constituent Assembly formation discussions

by admin
April 29th, 2012

Anger erupted among members of the People’s Assembly legislative committee following remarks made by the head of the Advisory Council, who criticized parliamentary discussions on the formation of the Constituent Assembly.

Osama Borhan, secretary general of the military-appointed council, considered the discussions as circumventing the State Council’s Administrative Court ruling that nullified the formation of the Islamist-dominated assembly because it did not represent all segments of society.

Earlier in April, People’s Assembly Speaker Saad al-Katatny had assigned the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee to mull the standards for choosing assembly members after the court ruling ordered it to be formed from outside Parliament.

Mahmoud al-Khodairy, an independent and head of the committee, said Borhan’s statements show he is unaware of the law, and that the court ruling itself constituted a legal mistake. He described it as a lifeline for everyone after criticism over the assembly’s makeup.

“What’s going on in the legislative committee is right. It’s the exact applying of Article 60 of the Constitutional Declaration, which was approved by the majority after a public referendum,” he said, adding that legal experts in the committee know more about the law and are the best ones to apply it.

Article 60 stipulates that Parliament should elect the 100 members of the Constituent Assembly. However, some political forces and activists reject the idea of Parliament writing the constitution, as well as the representation of MPs in the assembly.

Mohamed al-Omda, the committee’s deputy head, also commented on Borhan’s statements.

“I challenged the ruling and demanded it be canceled for violating the law. The court rejected a parliamentary decision claiming its ruling was administrative. The appeal will be reviewed on 7 May,” Omda said.

MP Mamdouh Ismail, a committee member, said Katatny approved the ruling from a political, not legal, perspective.

“Everyone inside Parliament agrees that the assembly formation should be achieved through election of 100 members from the People’s Assembly and Shura Council, which happens in 50 percent of the world’s parliaments. Whoever rejects [this] should go back to other countries’ constitutions and find out that they are formed by members of parliament,” Ismail added.

The committee members said they reject a document drawn up between the ruling military council and political forces during their meeting Saturday, which addresses how the assembly will be composed and the method of voting on articles of the constitution.

According to the state-run news agency MENA, the members said that the meeting violated Article 60.

However, the committee members were divided between the options of suspending or resuming parliamentary hearings on the Constituent Assembly, which are designed to allow all segments of society offer their opinions on its formation.

MP Mohamed Khalifa described the military-political forces meeting as a terrible insult and said what has been agreed on will not be binding for Parliament.

Khodairy rejected the idea of attacking the military council, saying that “political forces are the ones responsible for what’s happening.” He called on the council to send the document to the legislative committee, so that it can be included in proposals the committee makes after parliamentary hearings conclude.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Political forces’ meetings on Constituent Assembly ‘waste of time,’ says Advisory Council leader

by admin
April 26th, 2012

Meetings being held between political forces over standards for the Constituent Assembly are a “waste of time” because the Muslim Brotherhood's political party will form the body as it prefers, said the secretary general of the Advisory Council to the ruling military junta.

Osama Borhan said in a statement that the monopoly of a single faction over the body would be harmful to other political groups.

The Freedom and Justice Party is to exclude those who do not belong to the Parliament's Islamist majority from the assembly under the pretext that its parliamentary dominance has given it the right to draft the constitution, he said, adding that constitutions should not be drafted according to the parliamentary majority, and should take into account minorities, disadvantaged groups, youths and women.

Borhan noted that the current situation regarding the assembly is hazy and that the parliamentary majority aims to keep it that way until the presidential election concludes.

If the Constituent Assembly decides to establish a parliamentary system in Egypt, then another presidential election will have to be held, said Borhan.

Borhan said the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces gave all political forces an opportunity to agree on the standards of the assembly, but they could not.

The SCAF should add a supplementary clause to Article 60 of the Constitutional Declaration specifying the standards for choosing the Constituent Assembly, said Borhan. He noted that the military council has multiple suggestions for standards, whether proposed by the Advisory Council or other political forces, and that these are the only solution to the assembly selection crisis.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Wafd Party to support Moussa for president

by admin
April 4th, 2012

The liberal Wafd Party’s supreme authority decided Tuesday to endorse Amr Moussa for president, following a six-hour discussion.

The party had announced last month it would support presidential hopeful Mansour Hassan, the former head of the Advisory Council who later withdrew from the race.

Abdel Aziz al-Nahhas, the party’s assistant secretary general, said the party’s supreme authority and parliamentary bloc had to either endorse a presidential candidate or wait until other hopefuls express intent to run.

Nahhas added that party leader Al-Sayed al-Badawy said Moussa had asked for the party’s support.

The party also called a meeting for all political groups to be held Thursday at the Wafd’s headquarters to endorse Moussa.

Moussa served as Mubarak’s foreign minister from 1991 to 2001, and then as Arab League secretary general from 2001 until last May.

Young activists have repeatedly protested at Moussa’s campaign rallies, starting when he announced his intention to run for president at El Sawy Culture Wheel last March. These disturbances eventually prompted Moussa to issue a statement in May accusing “rioters” of concocting a plan to disrupt his campaign.

In March, the Wafd Party announced its support for Moussa, then stepped back from the decision when Hassan said he would run.

Last month, Hassan said he would not run for president because of a lack of support due to divisions between and within political forces. The former minister under Anwar Sadat explained that after reassessing the circumstances, he realized he would not be able to achieve the political consensus he believes in.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Update: Hassan decides against presidential run, Wafd will switch to Moussa

by admin
March 25th, 2012

Mansour Hassan, the former head of the Advisory Council to the ruling military junta, has said he will not run for president, citing a lack of support due to divisions between and within political forces.

In a statement on Sunday, Hassan said that after reassessing the circumstances, he realized he would not be able to achieve the political consensus he believes in.

“Political forces that had announced their endorsement of me were divided,” he said. “Other groups informed me they will not be able to endorse me due to internal conflicts.

“What assists me in my decision is the presence of several respectful [presidential] hopefuls,” he added.

Following Hassan’s announcement, the Wafd Party is leaning toward supporting former Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, according a number of party leaders.

The party's supreme board previously declared Hassan as its preferred candidate for president.

Wafd Vice President Bahaa Abu Shakka said Hassan’s decision to withdraw from the race was “that of a seasoned politician who knows where he stands and who doesn’t set off on misguided adventures."

He said he hoped all presidential candidates “with no real chance to win” would follow in Hassan’s footsteps, adding that Hassan’s decision shows his “foresight and unwillingness to create divisions within the political forces that support him.”

Abu Shakka told Al-Masry Al-Youm that “the only person knowledgeable on internal affairs and foreign relations is Amr Moussa, and therefore he is the candidate the party should support in the presidential election.”

He said that in Monday’s meeting, he called on members of party’s executive bureau agree to support Moussa. He went on to say that he would make the same request at Tuesday’s meeting with the party’s supreme board and parliamentary bloc, adding that he expects the party to offer its consent.

Tarek Sabak, the head of Wafd's parliamentary bloc, said, “Mansour Hassan felt the political street was not with him, that his chance of winning was very weak, and that he would not receive support from any of the political forces.”

He also said Wafd would transfer its support to Moussa, as he was “the closest to the Wafd Party’s principles and ideas.”

On Friday, Moussa, considered one of the front-runners in the race, submitted to the Presidential Elections Commission more than 30,000 signatures, which are needed for a non-partisan candidate to run.

Hassan was appointed by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in November as head of its civilian Advisory Council, which was tasked with providing guidance to the generals for the remainder of Egypt's post-uprising transitional period. The SCAF accepted his resignation earlier this month when he expressed his intention to run for president.

His joining in the race coincided with a political debate over the need for a consensus candidate. Rumors at the time suggested he would be backed by both the military and the Islamists that dominate Parliament.

Hassan, 75, was a stalwart of former President Anwar Sadat’s regime.

Tags: , , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Mansour Hassan decides not to run for president

by admin
March 25th, 2012

Mansour Hassan, the former head of the Advisory Council to the ruling military junta, has said he will not run for president, citing a lack of support due to divisions between and within political forces.

In a statement on Sunday, Hassan said that after reassessing the circumstances, he realized he would not be able to achieve the political consensus he believes in.

“Political forces that had announced their endorsement of me were divided,” he said. “Other groups informed me they will not be able to endorse me due to internal conflicts.

“What assists me in my decision is the presence of several respectful [presidential] hopefuls,” he added.

Hassan was appointed by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in November as head of its civilian Advisory Council, which was tasked with providing guidance to the generals for the remainder of Egypt's post-uprising transitional period. The SCAF accepted his resignation earlier this month when he expressed his intention to run for president.

His joining in the race coincided with a political debate over the need for a consensus candidate. Rumors at the time suggested he would be backed by both the military and the Islamists that dominate Parliament.

Two weeks ago, the Wafd Party’s supreme board announced its endorsement of Hassan, only two days after its executive bureau — an internal body subsidiary to the supreme board — had decided to support former Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

Hassan, 75, was a stalwart of former President Anwar Sadat’s regime.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)
Next Page »