Verdict on dissolution of Egypt’s Constituent Assembly postponed

0
3104

CAIRO, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) — Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court decided Tuesday to postpone the rule on whether to dissolve the Constituent Assembly to Oct. 9 so as to review all related papers, official al-Ahram website reported.

The court reviewed more than 40 lawsuits against the Islamists- dominated assembly whose members were chosen by the dissolved People’s Assembly (lower house).

Liberals and leftists complain that Islamists are controlling the decision-making inside the constitution-writing body, warning that this will lead to an unsuitable constitution. This has sparkled a continuous debate across Egypt on whether the assembly should continue to exist.

Head of the 100-member assembly Hossam al-Gheriany said Monday that he thought the court would “nullify” the assembly on Tuesday.

According to the new constitutional declaration issued by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Aug. 12, if the Constituent Assembly could not accomplish its work in 15 days, the president should form a new one which represents all the society spectra after consulting all the national movements to prepare a constitution draft.

So far, Egypt has formed two assemblies for the constitution. The current one was formed on June 12.

The first one was elected by the People’s Assembly in March. The 100-member assembly dominated by the Islamists was suspended in accordance to a decision by the administrative court after it had been rejected by liberal and secular parties.