Egypt: Amr Moussa is elected as a head of 50-member Constitutional Committee

Amr Moussa, head of Egypt's Constitutional
 Commitee

Egypt’s Constitutional Committee consisting of 50 members and tasked with the amending the draft of Egypt’s new Constitution has elected on Sunday, 8 September, for the Head of the Committee.

There have been two possible candidates for this position: former Foreign Minister and former presidential candidate liberal Amr Moussa and Chairman of the Lawyers Syndicate and of the Arab Nasserist Party Sameh Ashour.

During the voting Amr Moussa has received 30 votes, while Sameh Ashour has got 16. 2 members of the Committee abstained, 2 were absent.

The 50-member Constitutional Committee has started and held its first session on Sunday, 8 September, at the headquarters of Egypt’s recently dissolved Shura Council (Upper House of Egypt’s Parliament).

The committee is tasked with the amending of the 2012 Egypt’s Constitution and according to the Constitutional Decree issued by Egypt’s Interim President Adly Mansour the committee has 60 days to complete the task and to send the amended Constitution to the referendum to be approved or sent to the further amendments.

The 10-member technical committee consisting from the politician and political scientists and lawyers has issued a draft of the amended national charter with the proposed changes to the Constitution. Those changes should be studied and discussed by the 50-members Committee which includes the representatives of all the political forces and social factions of Egyptian society, and within 2 months the draft should be issued, according to the roadmap proposed by Egypt’s military after ouster of Islamist backed President Mohamed Morsy following the massive protests against his rule.