Coalition calls for April presidential elections and transfer of military power

Ahram Online , Monday 9 Jan 2012

56 parties and movements call for presidential elections in April, a move to civilian government and the trials of those responsible for the deaths of protesters in a ten-point revolutionary statement issued on Sunday

Tahrir Square
Protesters gather in Tahrir Square in Cairo (Photo: AP)

A group of 56 parties and movements from various revolutionary coalitions have issued a statement on Sunday regarding the continuation of the revolution and the transfer of power from the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to a civilian-elected government, parliament and president.

Among the 56 parties who signed the statement include Al-Wasat Party, The Egyptian Current Party, the Maspero Youth Union, the Democratic Front Party and Al-Hadara Party.

The 56 parties and movements put forward ten suggested actions necessary to achieving their joint revolutionary goals.

These include:


• Transferring the power and the legislative and supervisory powers “related to the public budget” from the SCAF to the People’s Assembly, as soon as the final results of the People’s Assembly’s elections are announced, as laid out in the Constitutional Declaration.


• Holding presidential elections by April 2012 and announcing the presidential elections’ schedule before 25 January, 2012. As soon as the president is elected, all the executive powers of the SCAF must be transferred to the president.


• Organising a meeting, independent from the ruling military council, where all political and social movements are represented in order to discuss the specifications of the provisional assembly that will draft the constitution.


• The commitment of the provisional assembly to drafting a constitution that accurately represents Egyptian society and the desired semi-presidential system.


• Restructuring the Ministry of Interior and ensuring the security of the state in accordance with the law as well as fighting crime without violations to Human Rights or the intervention of the military.


• Assigning an independent judicial committee to immediately investigate all those involved in the shooting of protesters since January 2011. People also under investigation will include those involved in the destroying of public properties and its documents and those responsible for creating tensions within the country and for trying to turn the people against Egypt’s army and security forces.


• Announcing short-term economic solutions to jump-start the economy as well as putting mechanisms in place to monitor prices and the market. Adopting the minimum and maximum wage limit and enforcing supervision of private funds and their inclusion in the public budget.


• Restructuring state media to ensure it is no longer corrupt and represents the people and not the regime or the government.


• Releasing all political prisoners and creating civilian retrials for those who faced military trials since January 2011.


• Ensuring Egypt’s independence as a nation and, in particular, reducing its relations with Israel.

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