Islamist leaders are voicing their opposition to the possibility that presidential elections will be held before a constitution is drafted.
In statements to Al-Masry Al-Youm, they accused some political powers of attempting to spread chaos by supporting early elections.
During a press conference Saturday, around 65 activists and public figures proposed that nominations for presidential candidates run from 25 January until the anniversary of former President Hosni Mubarak's resignation on 11 February, and that a new president be inaugurated within 60 days after that.
Some recently-elected MPs also support conducting Shura Council elections in February and presidential elections, which are slated for June, in April.
Independent MP Amr Hamzawy told reporters that the first joint parliamentary session should be held in February to select the constituent assembly that will write the new constitution.
It would be acceptable to expedite the drafting of the constitution, but not to hold presidential elections before it is finished, said Waheed Abdel Maguid, general coordinator for the Democratic Alliance, which is led by the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP).
Abdel Maguid said Islamists fear that holding elections before a constitution is in place would leave room for the new president to grant himself broad powers.
Helmy al-Gazzar, a senior member of the FJP, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the party is strictly committed to the stipulations in the constitutional declaration.
Mohamed Hassaan Hammad, media secretary for Jama’a al-Islamiya, said, "The constitution is a red line … the constitutional declaration stipulates that the constitution should be written before the election of the president."
Hammad said some political powers are trying to cut Islamists out of writing the constitution, adding that this threatens the democratic process.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
