BICOM

Egypt’s Constituent Assembly is set to reveal the first draft of the country’s constitution, although challenges continue regarding the content of the document and the assembly’s composition.

In June, a 100 strong panel, known as the Constituent Assembly, was chosen to draft a new constitution, following the suspension of the existing charter in the wake of the removal of Egypt’s former President, Hosni Mubarak, from power. The Constituent Assembly is set to present a draft of the new constitution this afternoon, which will be followed by a public campaign to promote discussion on the document ahead of a national referendum.

However, the make-up of the Constituent Assembly has come under fire, with several liberal, nationalist and left-wing parties having removed their representatives from the assembly, in protest at what they believe is unbalanced representation in favour of Islamist parties, including the Salafi Nour Party and the ruling Muslim Brotherhood. As a result, a legal challenge has been brought and is now pending over the constitutionality of the Constituent Assembly itself.

In addition, not everyone is happy about the content of the draft constitution, in particular the role it sets out for religion in the state. Secular-leaning delegates are apparently deeply concerned that the powerful Salafi parties are pushing strongly for Sharia law to be the basis of all legislation in the country. In addition, the New York based organisation Human Rights Watch has criticised the draft document for failing to take a clear stance on outlawing torture by the authorities and for leaving the door open to child marriages with only a general ban on “violations of women’s and children’s rights.”