An advisory council set up by Egypt’s military rulers, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), is set to choose its head in its first meeting Sunday.
The council, which includes many political figures and several presidential candidates, will also choose the leaders' assistants, amid doubts over its validity in the build-up to the anticipated presidential election, scheduled for June 2012.
According to SCAF, the council’s task will be assisting the ruling military in several headline-grabbing issues, including introducing a new law to guide presidential elections and drawing up a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (JFP) announced Thursday that it had withdrawn its representatives from the council, declining to provide reasons for the abrupt decision.
However, reports suggested that their decision came in protest at quotes attributed to SCAF’s Major General Mukhtar Mulla, in which he told foreign reporters the ruling junta would have the final say on the constitution.
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