The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is considering handing over power to an elected president on 24 May if any of the candidates win a majority of the vote outright, said MP Mostafa Bakry after the vice president of the council, Sami Anan, met with the heads of a number of political parties and movements on Wednesday.
During a press conference following the meeting, Bakry quoted Anan as saying, “the SCAF impatiently awaits the presidential election,” and “We will not use violence in any form against protesters.”
According to Bakry, Anan went on to say, “Even if the goal of some is to clash with the military establishment, we will never resort to clashes with protestors…We have no intention to use extraordinary measures.”
Seven political parties announced their boycott of the meeting, in which the formation of the Constituent Assembly was to be discussed, in light of the violence in Abbasseya and the manner in which the transitional government is dealing with it.
A number of politicians accused the SCAF of being responsible for clashes that broke out Wednesday, in order to prolong the transitional period.
The SCAF had previously pledged to hand over power by the end of June following the upcoming presidential election, slated for 23 and 24 May.
According to the schedule announced by the Presidential Elections Commission, the final election result will be announced on 29 May if any of the candidates win following the first round.
If necessary, a runoff election will be held on 16 and 17 June and the final result will be announced on 21 June.
Edited translation from MENA
