Archive for People’s Assembly

Election laws top Islamist legislative agenda

by admin
January 2nd, 2013

Islamist lawmakers in the Shura Council are set to propose a series of legislation that would regulate the upcoming elections of the House of Representatives as well as the work of some pivotal institution such as the Constitutional Court.

Adel Afifiy, chairman of Asala Party, a Salafi group, stressed that priority should be given to laws banning protests in vital areas, such as Tahrir Square. He said that Islamist legislators in the Shura Council will work on laws serving Islamist parties and granting their candidates more electoral ground in the upcoming elections for the House of Representatives (previously the People’s Assembly).

On Sunday, news outlets had circulated a 26-article draft bill that would restrict demonstrations to certain hours and require organizers to notify authorities in advance of a protest. Both a lawmaker from the Shura Council committees alleged to have drafted the legislation the FJP denied responsibility for the bill.

Saad Omara, from the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party’s Shura bloc, said the council would essentially discusswhat it deems inevitable bills, including drafts amending the council’s regulation in a way that empowers it with the legislative authority stipulated in the new constitution. Omara said that law has to be approved for the council to fulfill its legislative function.

According to Omara, a law governing Supreme Constitutional Court cases also must  be amended so that the court rules on the constitutionality of bills before, rather than after, they are passed into law.

He said the council would also handle the law regulating lower house elections, which is expected to come out of government-sponsored national dialogue meetings. Among the proposals is a mixed candidacy system, with two thirds of seats contested through list-based nominations and one third reserved for candidates running off the party lists.

Salah Abdel Maaboud, a member of the supreme board at the Salafi-oriented Nour Party, said there are also proposals to amend the delineation of electoral districts.

Despite the limited time available for passing laws, parties are eager to approve a national maximum and minimum wage, Omara said.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Erian tells Egyptian Jews to leave Israel, return to Egypt

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December 28th, 2012

Essam al-Erian, deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, called on Egyptian Jews to leave Israel to the Palestinians and return to their own homeland.

Their presence in Palestine contributes to the Zionist occupation of Arab lands, and every Egyptian has the right to live in his country — nobody can deny that, Erian said during an interview on the privately operated Dream TV on Thursday.

“Why did Nasser expel them [the Jews] from Egypt?” he asked, claiming that Nasser’s decision contributed to the occupation of other Arab lands.

"Egyptian Jews should refuse to live under a brutal, bloody and racist occupation stained with war crimes against humanity," Erian said. 

During the interview, Erian also addressed the problem of money smuggled out of Egypt by former regime members.

"Most of the money that had been smuggled was done so under the [rule of] SCAF [Supreme Council of Armed Forces)]. Hundreds of billions have been smuggled to the United Arab Emirates," he said. Erian pointed out that the fact-finding committee that was formed by the dissolved People's Assembly had given him that information. He added that the UAE did not respond to the inquiries of People's Assembly on the smuggled money.

Also in the interview, Erian denied that the Armed Forces held a privileged role under the new Constitution.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Astrologer: Islamists’ parliamentary presence to shrink in next election

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December 25th, 2012

LUXOR — A well-known Upper Egyptian astrologer has predicted a change in the political tide in favor of liberal political groups, at the expense of Islamists.         



Sayyed Mohamed Ali told the German news agency DPA that the number of Islamist representatives in the next People’s Assembly will decrease while liberal groups, such as the Wafd Party and the National Salvation Front, will make electoral and political gains in collaboration with revolutionary groups.



Ali even foresees President Mohamed Morsy facing serious problems, which would end with the army’s intervention to maintain order.



He said he predicts a new worldwide war in 2013 and 2014, with the Middle East as its epicenter.



Ali also said the UN Security Council will see a change in its system, working with more resistance to US double-standard policies. He, however, predicted that the international organization would move toward collapse by early 2014.



Other prophecies for 2013 include more hurricanes in the United States, a devastating earthquake in Japan, volcanic eruptions in Iran, floods in Egypt and Sudan, and a change in the Syrian regime.

 

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Morsy appoints 90 members to the Shura Council

by admin
December 23rd, 2012

President Mohamed Morsy appointed 90 members to the Shura Council, the upper house of parliament, Presidential Spokesperson Yasser Ali announced on his official Facebook page on Saturday. The appointments include senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders such as Essam al-Erian and Sobhy Saleh and military figures such as Adel Morsy, the former head of the Military Judiciary Authority. 

According to Ali, the 90 appointees include members of 17 parties, 12 of which did not have any representation in the dissolved People's Assembly. Appointees also include constitutional experts, eight women, 12 Copts, eight members of Egyptian churches, five members of Al-Azhar and two of the wounded of the revolution. 

"In continuation of the national dialogue which the president is hosting, and which agenda includes important issues, and in the context of the efforts deployed during the fourth round of this dialogue whereby the selection criteria of Shura Council appointees were discussed, the president issued a decree appointing 90 members to the Shura Council, in accordance with the law," Ali wrote. He added that the appointees represent the diversity of the Egyptian society, with civil society representatives, trade unionists, academics, legal experts, athletes, Sinai and Matrouh tribesmen and Sufi figures. 

If the current constitutional draft passes the referendum, the second phase of which will be held on Saturday, the Shura Council will be handed legislative powers until a new parliament is elected. The lower house of parliament was dissolved earlier by a court ruling, when the Supreme Constitutional Court found that the law governing the house’s elections unconstitutional. 

With the appointments, the Shura Council will be composed of 279 members, a third of whom are appointed by the president.

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Presidency responds to SCC’s anger over official’s remarks

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December 18th, 2012

The president’s office issued a statement on Tuesday clarifying an official’s remarks suggesting that President Mohamed Morsy had received evidence that the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC)  intends to dissolve the Constituent Assembly.

Essam al-Haddad, the assistant to the president for external relations, had made the statements to foreign media outlets on Friday.

Haddad was not claiming that the judges themselves wanted to dissolve the assembly, but rather other circles of influence did, the president’s office claimed in Tuesday’s statement. It stressed Haddad’s respect for all state institutions, including the judiciary, adding that the Morsy administration respects the independence of the judiciary and believes in the separation of powers.

The SCC had criticized Haddad’s statements to the media, saying he “slandered” the court.

On Friday Heddad had also claimed that the Islamist-dominated People’s Assembly was dissolved under suspicious circumstances by the court.

Relations between Morsy’s office and the judiciary have been strained since the dissolution of Parliament in June. Islamist supporters of the president besieged the SCC earlier this month fearing that it would rule to dissolve the Constituent Assembly, which is also dominated by Islamists.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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In five months, five retreats on major presidential decrees

by admin
December 10th, 2012

After five months in power, President Mohamed Morsy has withdrawn five significant decrees. The major decisions that Morsy has made and later retreated on are his decision to reinstate the dissolved People’s Assembly, his appointment of former Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud as ambassador to the Vatican, the decision to force stores and restaurants to close by 10 pm, his 22 November constitutional declaration that protected the Constituent Assembly from dissolution, and, most recently, his decision to raise taxes on a number of commodities.

Parliament reinstatement

On 8 July, Morsy ordered the People’s Assembly to reconvene, citing Article 33 of the March 2011 Constitutional Declaration and directly challenging a 15 June Supreme Constitutional Court decision that dissolved the elected body.

But Morsy withdrew the decision on 11 July, expressing his commitment to the original court ruling. His move came after the Supreme Constitutional Court issued a fresh ruling the day before, reaffirming the assembly’s unconstitutionality. The president stressed his respect for the constitution and the judiciary, while emphasizing that he was anxious to avoid conflict between branches of government.

The prosecutor general, twice removed

On 11 October, Morsy issued a decree appointing former Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud as Egypt’s ambassador to the Vatican, tasking one of Mahmoud’s aides with taking his place temporarily until a substitute was named. Morsy made the appointment amid widespread criticism of prosecutors after the Cairo Criminal Court exonerated several key former regime figures of responsibility for murdering protesters during the “Battle of the Camel” in February last year.

A day later, Morsy canceled the decision, in agreement with Mahmoud, after members of the judiciary protested. But Morsy removed Mahmoud again on 22 November, replacing him with Talaat Ibrahim Abdallah, as part of his constitutional declaration. Though Morsy revoked the declaration on 8 December, he did not reinstate Mahmoud.

Earlier closure of businesses

On 30 October, the government announced a law forcing all stores and restaurants to close by 10 pm. The Local Development Ministry had stressed that the decision was final.

However, one day later, Local Development Minister Ahmed Zaki Abdeen said the application of the new measure was postponed to study the penalties to be imposed on violators. He later said the decision would be implemented on 1 December, denying reports that the government canceled it under media pressure, but the law remains inactive as of now.

The constitutional declaration

On 21 November, Morsy issued a constitutional declaration that stipulated retrials for former regime figures, replaced Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, protected the Constituent Assembly and the Shura Council from dissolution, and granted the president broad power beyond judicial review.

The declaration, particularly the decisions to protect the Constituent Assembly and Shura Council and to grant Morsy more powers, ignited fierce political opposition. As tens of thousands of citizens protested the decree, and several judges threatened to boycott supervision of the referendum on the new constitution, Morsy decided on 9 December to rescind the decree, replacing it with a modified document that nonetheless kept the referendum date unchanged.

Price increases

Morsy’s quickest retreat came on 9 December. Being the holder of legislative power, Morsy decided to increase taxes cigarettes, natural gas, fizzy drinks, alcohol and electricity. He withdrew the decision within hours on 10 December, with his office saying in a statement that he had returned the decision to the Cabinet for further consideration.

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Morsy’s declaration does not reinstate parliament, says presidential spokesperson

by admin
November 22nd, 2012

President Mohamed Morsy's new constitutional declaration issued on Thursday evening does not reinstate Parliament, said presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali.

Article 2 of the new declaration states that all constitutional declarations, laws and decrees issued by the president since he assumed office on 30 June 2012 are final and binding and cannot be challenged, vetoed or reversed by the judiciary until the new constitution is ratified and a new People’s Assembly has been elected. All lawsuits that have been filed against any of those decisions are now void, according to the declaration.

In June the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that the law that had governed the People’s Assembly elections was unconstitutional. The majority of seats had been won by the Muslim Brotherhood, with which Morsy is affiliated.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which was still in power at that time, dissolved Parliament after that ruling. In July Morsy attempted to reinstate it, but Parliament simply reconvened once for a short time.

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Legislation required to block pornographic websites, minister says

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November 20th, 2012

Communications and Information Technology Minister Hany Mahmoud said Tuesday that blocking pornographic websites would require parliamentary legislation, adding that the ministry is ready to implement a law once it is issued.

At a meeting with the Egyptian-Canadian Business Council on Monday, Mahmoud said the ministry knows how to block the sites and how much it would cost.

He also said the ministry had prepared a plan to block the sites but the People’s Assembly was dissolved before it could present it. The Supreme Constitutional Court ordered the People’s Assembly dissolved on 14 June after finding fault with the elections process.

Mahmoud explained that the public prosecutor did not decide to block the sites but rather asked for clarification on the matter from the ministry.

“We sent him a letter with the procedures we took in this regard, according to a court ruling issued in 2009 to block pornographic sites,” he said.

The plan that was prepared by the ministry said blocking the sites would cost US$10 million, and inquired about funding.

“We obliged Internet service providers to offer secure Internet software to help parents block those sites and protect their children,” he said. “Yet only 12 percent of total subscribers requested the software.”

The public prosecutor sent official letters to Mahmoud, the interior minister and the head of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority on 7 November ordering that they block pornographic websites. 

Public Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud wrote that such websites show images that are contrary to the values and traditions of Egyptian society and the national interest, his spokesperson Adel al-Saeed said. 

The State Council Administrative Court in May 2009 decreed that the government should ban pornographic websites. The court said such websites help spread vice, which destroys traditions, beliefs and morals, and therefore the country’s interests as well as social and national security.

Many experts predict it is unlikely the government has the technological capabilities to carry out the blocks, but they warn that the prosecutor’s move is a dangerous step toward increasing government censorship.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Court sets 2 December to issue ruling in Constituent Assembly dissolution

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November 13th, 2012

The Supreme Constitutional Court set 2 December to issue a ruling on the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution.

Two lawsuits filed against the assembly demanded annulling the law issued on 12 July by the dissolved People's Assembly laying out criteria for the selection of the current Constituent Assembly members.
 
Deputy head of the Supreme Constitutional Court Maher Samy told MENA that two lawsuits filed against the assembly demand its dissolution for being based on a law issued by the dissolved People's Assembly. 
 
Both lawsuits, according to Samy, contend that the Constituent Assembly constitutes an obstacle to the implementation of the ruling of the Supreme Constitutional Court issued in June annulling the parliamentary elections law and dissolving the People's Assembly.
 
A judicial source told state-run Al-Ahram newspaper that the two claims were referred to the commissioners of the Supreme Constitutional Court.
 
The source noted that the court might issue a ruling dissolving the Constituent Assembly before the completion of the new constitution.
 
The Constituent Assembly is expected to issue a final draft constitution before the end of November, and put it to referendum in December. The Supreme Administrative Court last month referred the two claims demanding the dissolution of the assembly, for the second time, to the Supreme Constitutional Court.
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Islamist leaders nominate Shater for next People’s Assembly speaker

by admin
October 27th, 2012

Informed sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm Saturday that Islamist leaders have nominated Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat al-Shater for the post of People's Assembly speaker in the next Parliament.

Head of the Salafi Dawa in Giza Hesham Abu al-Nasr said small meetings were held with Brotherhood leaders to discuss the formation of a coalition for Islamists to contest the parliamentary elections against the Popular Current, founded by former presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sabbahi.
 
The Supreme Administrative Court upheld last September the Supreme Constitutional Court's ruling to dissolve the People's Assembly after finding the parliamentary election law invalid.
 
Shater was excluded from the presidential race for being sentenced by a military court under former President Hosni Mubarak. 
 
"The meetings with Brotherhood leaders, on top of them Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie, will continue after he returns from Saudi Arabia," Abu al-Nasr said.
 
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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