Parliament's legislative committee on Monday issued a new Constituent Assembly Law regulating the work of the assembly responsible for drafting a new Egyptian constitution.

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt's ruling military council, has directed the People’s Assembly and Shura Council (the lower and upper houses of Egypt's parliament) to convene a joint session on Tuesday to select the Constituent Assembly's 100 members.

The legislative committee drew up the draft law, which consists of 13 articles. Following an urgent session of the People’s Assembly on Monday, however, several articles were eliminated and others amended, leaving a total of 11 articles.

Those articles are as follows:

Article 1: In accordance with Article 60 of the Constitutional Declaration (issued last year by the ruling military council and approved via popular referendum), elected members of parliament will appoint the assembly's 100 members within two months of the Constituent Assembly Law's issuance.  

Article 2: The Constituent Assembly is to be a legal entity independent of all state institutions and agencies.

Article 3: The Constituent Assembly should be representative of all segments of Egyptian society to the fullest extent possible.

Article 4: The Constituent Assembly should set the regulations governing its work within three days of its first session.

Article 5: Articles of the draft constitution should be reached by consensus among assembly members. If this proves impossible, articles should be determined by vote.

Article 6: All state institutions, apparatuses and agencies are committed to providing the assembly with all necessary data and technical support.  

Article 7: The Constituent Assembly is to be provided with a 'technical commission' made up of experts – who will not have the right to vote – to assist it.

Article 8: The Constituent Assembly is to have a General Secretariat for administrative, financial and organisational issues.

Article 9: The Constituent Assembly will have the right to invite and hear whoever it feels may have an opinion useful to its work.

Article 10: The Constituent Assembly is to have an independent budget, to be determined by the People’s Assembly.

Article 11: The Constituent Assembly Law is to be published in the official press and put into effect immediately.