• FJP News
  • October 31, 2011
  • 3 minutes read

FJP: We Reject Selmi Principles and Insist on a Constitution for all Egyptians

FJP: We Reject Selmi Principles and Insist on a Constitution for all Egyptians

Dr. Mohamed Saad Katatni, Secretary-General of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), stressed that he was surprised at the invitation Dr. Ali Al-Selmi, Deputy Prime Minister, offered to the political parties and stakeholders for a meeting to discuss the drafting of the new constitution and selection criteria for the special committee tasked with drawing the constitution. Read More

In an official statement, Dr. Katatni said: "The Council of Ministers insists to confuse the political arena, once again, at a time when procedures are underway for the parliamentary elections, and all political stakeholders are preparing for the forthcoming parliament – which will perform full legislative and regulatory duties that have been disrupted for so long in the current transitional period – and at a time of heightened political and public demands for a clear and definite timetable for the hand-over of power, especially with regard to the presidential elections."


He added: "The Council of Ministers tried to distract public opinion and political stakeholders with this issue repeatedly with different titles and names, the latest of which were the so-called Supra-Constitutional Principles and the Constitutional Declaration. All of these ‘names and titles’ we have already rejected decisively."


Dr. Katatni stressed that the FJP had already declared its views on the formation of a committee to draft the constitution, and that it should represent all the components of the whole nation, not only those of the parliamentary majority. The party also considers that any interference in the way the committee is formed or any attempt to set principles and rules for such a committee is an infringement on the free will of the Egyptian people and an encroachment on the work of Parliament.
Dr. Katatni explained that the party will not participate in any of these meetings.

Further, the FJP calls upon the Council of Ministers and all political stakeholders to respect the will of the people that authorized – by public referendum – the People’s representatives for the development of these rules and standards.