Constituent Assembly member Anwar Esmat El-Sadat has called the drafting of Egypt's constitution to be frozen until the High Constitutional Court (HCC) delivers its verdict on the fate of the constitution-drafting body.

The Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) on Tuesday referred a lawsuit against the Islamist-led assembly to the HCC.

The decision means the assembly's future is still unclear but has given it time to complete the drafting process before the final verdict is delivered.

El-Sadat, a member of the liberal-oriented Reform and Development Party and former MP, made the comments in a statement to assembly leader Hossam El-Gheriany on Wednesday.

He also said it would be "shameful" to pass a constitution without the consensus of the country's political forces.

Not only is the assembly facing several lawsuits questioning its constitutionality, it has also been facing criticism for being unrepresentative of the country at large and dominated by Islamists.

Several statements have been released recently condemning the current draft of the constitution.

El-Sadat stated he would be holding meetings with political forces to push for a halt to the drafting process until the HCC ruling.