A judicial expert has called upon Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to amend the interim constitution and postpone the parliamentary elections until a new constitution has been drafted.
The interim Constitutional Declaration, approved through a public vote in March, tasks lawmakers scheduled to be elected in September with introducing a new constitution within six months.
During a Wednesday seminar in Cairo, judicial expert Nour Farahat said the SCAF could consult the Supreme Constitutional Court about amending the interim constitution.
"We can not establish a parliament without basis", Farahat said. "In 1994, the Supreme Constitutional Court decreed that the panel responsible for laying a new constitution is the highest [legislative] authority in the country", he added.
"How can we demand the Parliament to form a panel that is higher in rank, and how can we convince workers and peasants who enjoy a quota of 50 percent of parliamentary seats to abrogate that allocation?" he said.
Farahat also demanded the activation of the laws on presidential liability, so the president can be held accountable for election rigging and illegal profiteering.
He also asked that the next constitution deny the president the right to amend the constitution, noting that former presidents Anwar al-Sadat and Hosni Mubarak abused that aspect of presidential authorities.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
