Democracy News

Egyptians Approve Constitutional Referendum; Military Announces Plans To Transfer Power
March 31, 2011
By: Carlos Aramayo | Printer Friendly

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces – the council of military leaders that is currently in charge in Egypt – announced its intention to hand over power to the next elected government. In an interview, Council member Major General Mamdouh Shaheen stated that the Council would hand over legislative powers after the parliamentary election in September 2011, and executive powers would be transferred following the November 2011 presidential election.
 
The Council’s announcement came 10 days after Egyptian voters overwhelmingly approved a package of constitutional amendments aimed at helping the country transition to democracy. The New York Times reports that on March 19, citizens went to polling stations to vote to either approve or deny a package of 8 amendments that would open elections to independent candidates, impose presidential term limits and curtail the 30-year-old emergency law that gave police near-unlimited powers to crackdown on anti-government supporters. The interim constitution also now outlines the creation of a committee of 100 legal experts, academics, politicians, and professionals – that will be selected by the newly elected parliament – to draft a completely new constitution, which would then be approved in another subsequent referendum.

According to the Washington Post, Elections Commission Chief Ahmed Attiya said 41 percent of the country’s 45 million eligible voters participated in the referendum. More than 14 million (77.2 percent) citizens voted to approve the amendments while approximately 4 million (22.8 percent) were opposed.

BBC reports that many presidential hopefuls have already announced plans to run for Egypt’s highest office, including opposition member and Nobel Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, Arab League chief Amr Moussa, and left-wing opposition politician Hamdeen Sabahi. The Muslim Brotherhood has stated that it would not be putting forth a presidential candidate.

The Council has showcased its eagerness to  work towards reform in the country by dissolving the internal security agency, which has been blamed for human rights abuses during deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s regime. The BBC reports that Egypt’s Interior Minister, Mansour al-Issawi, stated that the former security agency would be replaced with a new "National Security Force that will be tasked with protecting the domestic front and combating terrorism."

For previous news on Egypt, please see:
Egyptian Military Becomes Interim Authority, but Future Role is Unclear

Sources:
BBC – Egypt dissolves notorious internal security agency

NYT – Elections in Egypt by the Fall, Leaders Say

NYT – ElBaradei to Run for Egypt’s Presidency

NYT – In Egypt, Preparations for a Rarity: A Real Vote