Democracy News
Egyptian Military Becomes Interim Authority, but Future Role is Unclear
February 14, 2011
By: Chinyelu Odunze | Printer Friendly
On February 11, the military council that has governed Egypt since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak laid out a six-month timetable in which to draft constitutional amendments, submit them to a referendum and elect a new government. While the military has assumed a leadership role in the interim, there is still debate about the military’s long-term intentions.
Since February 13, Egypt has effectively been under direct military control, when a council of high-ranking military officers suspended the Constitution and dissolved the country’s Parliament. The military would stay in charge for six months, or until free and fair democratic elections could be held, said a military spokesman on state television.
Two generals on the governing Supreme Council of the Armed Forces presented the plan – which includes writing the amendments in 10 days and holding the referendum within two months – in a meeting on February 13.
However, some in the opposition, including the Nobel Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei, have repeatedly warned that hasty elections could weaken the fledgling democracy and lead to the rise of another military strongman. Echoing this sentiment, citing the Egyptian Constitution, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that since Mubarak stepped down, Egypt would have to hold a presidential election within 60 days – too little time for the government or the opposition to organize a credible vote,” the New York Times reports.
According to Reuters, democracy experts insist that the Constitutional Amendment Committee redraft a new constitution from scratch. The eight-member committee is headed by Tareq el-Bishri, a respected retired judge known for his fairness and impartiality. The Committee is mostly made up of experts in constitutional law and includes a senior figure from the Muslim Brotherhood. According to BBC News, the Committee is instructed to "amend all articles as it sees fit to guarantee democracy and the integrity of presidential and parliamentary elections.”
Some jurists and human rights campaigners say keeping any part of the suspended constitution would sap the interim government's credibility. "The current constitution is dead and nothing should be used from it," said Hisham al-Bastawisy, a top judiciary official. Democracy campaigners said the constitution gave the president absolute power, allowed him to run for elections indefinitely and made it impossible for candidates not approved by his National Democratic Party to pose a serious challenge.
Reuters reported that secularists, some Coptic Christians, who make up a tenth of the population and even some Muslims are calling for the scrapping of Article 2, which makes Sharia law the law of the land.
The Times Magazine reports that Egypt adjusted to a new normality on February 13, as the first day of the country's working week saw schools and businesses open for the first time in three weeks, and Cairo's streets were gridlocked not by protests but by the familiar crush of bleating traffic.
Some members of the opposition welcomed the timetable as evidence that the officers were eager to turn over power to a civilian authority. According to the New York Times, since seizing power on February 11, the military has responded in words and actions to the platform articulated by the demonstrators in Tahrir Square. However, beyond more protests, there is almost no check on the sweep of military rule.
While opposition leaders in Egypt welcomed the military, some have quietly raised concerns about the future role of an institution that has been the pillar of the status quo. According to the Time Magazine, it is unclear if their commanders have the vision or even the desire to see democracy through. "There have been a lot of promises," says one protester who gives his name as Ahmed. “But no details, no facts. The military was the power behind Mubarak, so why would it want to give up that power?”
The New York Times reports that skeptics note that the military has so far excluded civilians from the transitional government. Cynics worry that the military might be trying to manipulate events to preserve its power by rushing the process and denying political parties and candidates enough time to organize for a meaningful, fair election that could elect a strong civilian government.
Egypt is in a situation uncharted since the country was founded in 1952. Though enjoying popular support, the military must cope with the formidable task of negotiating a post-revolutionary landscape that is still celebrating Mubarak’s demise, but that is also overwhelmed by demands to ease Egyptians’ many hardships.
It remains to be seen whether the Egyptians who overthrew Mubarak will accept the terms for a political transition outlined by the military.
Sources:
BBC News - Egypt Crisis: Army Sets Constitution Deadline
New York Times- Egypt’s Ruling Generals Meet with Opposition
Reuters - Rewrite Egypt Constitution from Scratch, say Critics
Time Magazine- Is Egypt’s Army Capable of Delivering Democracy?
New York Times- Warning Against Hasty Exit of Mubarak
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