Egypt » Political

NEW CONSTITUTION IN 10 DAYS, MUBARAK IN POOR HEALTH

February 15, 2011   ·   0 Comments

By Kwamena JAFFUL -Ghana

A new constitution for the North African country Egypt is expected to be completed in 10 days by her ruling military council.

The Defence Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi at a meeting said on Tuesday that an eight member committee made up of experts in constitutional law, led by Tariq el-Bishri a retired judge and senior figure from the opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood has been commissioned with the proposing legal changes.

The committee working on the current constitution amendment has been instructed to “amend all articles as it sees fit to guarantee democracy and the integrity of presidential and parliamentary elections”, aimed at loosening the tenure on power of that part of the country.

Former president Mubarak, 82, has been reported to be in poor health in his residence in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday.

The Egyptian ambassador to the US told American TV network NBC and the Saudi-owned daily newspaper Asharq al-Awsat also reported that Mubarak’s health was “declining drastically” and has refused to travel abroad for treatment. The paper quoted a former security official linked to the military high command.

In his final speeches to the nation, Mr Mubarak said that he would die in Egypt. He has not been seen in public since stepping down.

Mubarak stepped down last week after more than two weeks of protests.

Strikes ease

The BBC’s Jon Leyne in Cairo says it looks as if the military council is fulfilling its pledge to hand the country back to civilian rule as quickly as possible.

Tahrir Square, the focus of protests in Cairo, has largely returned to normal

The speed of the move will reassure the opposition, he says, although there might be some nervousness about whether it is an attempt to push through changes in too much of a rush.

The military council has also repeated its calls for an end to strikes that spread across the country during Sunday and Monday.

The stoppages are dealing a further blow to Egypt’s ailing economy, damaged by three weeks of unrest.

“The supreme council is aware of the economic and social circumstances society is undergoing, but these issues cannot be resolved before the strikes and sit-ins end,” the state news agency Mena quoted the military as saying.

“The result of that will be disastrous,” it added.

Strikes eased on Tuesday, mainly because offices and businesses were closed for an Islamic holiday.

But correspondents said some smaller protests continued in provinces outside Cairo, mainly called by workers demanding higher pay.

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