Presidential elections will only take place after constitution is drafted, says minister of parliamentary affairs; nominations will begin in April.
Judge Mohamed Attia, minister of parliamentary affairs, stated on Sunday to the Arabic Ahram daily newspaper that presidential nominations will begin in April. He added that the presidential elections will not take place before the new constitution is drafted and approved via a national referendum.
Attia confirmed that the candidate criteria for the presidential elections have not changed, confirming that candidates must be above the age of fourty and approved by thirty parliament members or thirty thousand citizens from fifteen different governorates.
There is as yet no set date for the presidential elections.
After mass demonstrations against military rule in November, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) stated that they would hand over power by the end of June. The use of brutal force by military forces has been a mobilising factor in campaigns for a quick handover to a civil government.
Different initiatives have been proposed by activists to bring a quick end to military rule including that the SCAF hands over power to the parliament, the head of parliament or a National Salvation Government. These initiatives were rejected by the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest organised political group who have made massive gains in the country's pongoing parliamentary elections.
[Developed in partnership with Ahram Online.]
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