Fruits of Obama's Foreign Policy: More Islamic States
Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 5:04 am
CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian liberals walked out of a meeting Sunday to select members of a panel to write the country's new constitution, charging that Islamists were trying to take seats allocated for secular parties.
The walkout could throw the writing of the constitution, which would lay out the powers of the presidency, into further disarray at a time when uncertainties mar both the course of the presidential runoff election on June 16-17 and the legality of parliament.
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He said he understood the agreement reached on Thursday to mean that first there would be 21 seats allocated for institutions like the Coptic Church, Al-Azhar mosque, the military and ministries. He said that half of the remaining 79 seats were then supposed to go to Islamists of all affiliations.
"We hold the ruling military council responsible for not being clear enough," Gad said. "If they want to repeat what happened last time, then they can move head on Tuesday with selecting the panel."
The four liberal parties who walked out plan to hold a meeting Monday to discuss what to do next.
Some seculars, like the Wafd Party, said those who walked out were trying to derail the process.
Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan said it is a case of the minority party trying to push its agenda on the majority.
"They control maybe six or seven percent in parliament, but they want to force their opinion on the almost 94 percent," Gholzan said.
The dispute follows repeated promises by the parliament speaker, Brotherhood member Saad El-Katatni, that the constitution will represent all Egyptians.
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Egypt-s-liberals-walk-out-of-constitution-meeting-3623275.php