CAIRO, April 5: Egypt’s ruling military council has reiterated its pledge to hand over power in the country to a civilian leader following the next month’s presidential vote.
“The Army will hand over power in Egypt to a newly elected president in late June, even if a constitutional commission does not conclude its work on the country’s basic law,” Major General Mamdouh Shahin, chief legal advisor and member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), said late on Wednesday.
The SCAF, which took power in Egypt following last year’s popular uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, has been repeatedly accused by critics of trying to hold on to power and maintain a political role in the country’s future.
Presidential elections are scheduled to take place in Egypt on May 23-24. The winner of the race will be announced on June 21.
In early March, the 100-member commission began working on the new Egyptian constitution which will define the powers of the country’s president. The draft law is expected to be ready within six months since the start of the commission’s work. It will then be put to a national referendum.
The SCAF “does not intend to interfere in the constitutional commission’s work” and will prevent any attempts by other political forces to do this, Shahin said.
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