Egypt new-appointed vice president Mahmoud Mekki (Photo: Ahram file)
The presidential office has extended an invitation to young members of all parties and political groups to meet with Egyptian Vice President Mahmoud Mekki on Monday.
A statement from the Egyptian Popular Current, the leftist movement led by ex-presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi, said that the meeting with Mekki, which took place on Monday afternoon, would cover a number of key issues. Representatives would discuss their stance towards the Constituent Assembly, which has faced increasing criticism from many liberals and leftists for not being representative of all political and social factions of Egyptian society, particularly after the publication of the draft constitution last week.
Representatives will also discuss the issuance of a new parliamentary election law that will be able to reflect the national consensus, in place of the previous law which was found unconstitutional last June and which led to the dissolution of the People's Assembly. The law that will be issued imminently to regulate the elections of local councils will also be discussed at the meeting.
Representatives will also call on Mekki to take clear legal action to investigate clashes that occurred between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and anti-Brotherhood protesters during mass demonstrations in Tahrir Square two weeks ago.
Another item on the representatives' agenda is Egyptian-Israeli relations, after a friendly letter reportedly sent by President Mohamed Morsi to Israeli President Shimon Peres last Wednesday triggered scathing criticism from many opposition figures.
The meeting will also tackle several issues that are still pending, including the doctors' strike; the "protecting the revolution's gains" law that Morsi announced he will issue soon; the Nile University crisis; the religious defamation law; the rights of disabled citizens; torture in prisons; school teachers' demands; the amendment of the university bylaws; the demands of public sector bus drivers; and transitional justice issues.
Representatives who attend the meeting will hold a news conference on Tuesday afternoon to announce details of the discussion, according to the Popular Current's statement.
Parties who have been invited to the meeting also include the liberal Free Egyptians Party and the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, the moderate Islamist Egyptian Current Party and the liberal Egyptian Coalition Party.
The issues on the meeting's agenda are the main ones that have sparked criticism of President Morsi throughout the past few weeks. The last two Fridays have seen demonstrations against Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, from which the president hails.
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