Liberal MP Amr Hamzawy, and Gamal Fahmy, press syndicate council member (Photo: Sarah Mourad)
Gamal Fahmy, Egyptian Journalists' Syndicate council member, announced on Thursday that the syndicate will officially withdraw from the constituent assembly, the body mandated to write Egypt's new constitution.
Fahmy supported the protest by members of the syndicate last Tuesday which demanded the syndicate's withdrawal from the assembly.
Fahmy said that the press syndicate postponed announcing their decision on whether or not they would withdraw because the head, Mamdouh El-Waly, who is considered to be an Islamist, refused to withdraw.
However, El-Waly finally agreed, arguing that it is not possible for the constituent assembly to include only Islamists, and lack the full spectrum of society from Al-Azhar and the Coptic Orthodox Church, to many liberal forces, and professional and workers' unions.
The constituent assembly members' list was announced on Sunday 25 March. Sixty-five percent of the members are Islamists from the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafist political parties, leading many liberals and leftists to reject the assembly's legitimacy.
Short link: