It’s Time for Change on “the Day of Rage”

In the light of the Day of Rage which was organised by Egyptian opposition youth on 6^th April, in solidarity with this call Egyptian political forces declared “Cairo Declaration” titled “It is time for change” which calls for allowing freedoms and abolishing all restrictions imposed on them.

 Those who participated in drafting the declaration are  Al–Ghad Party  Al–Karama Party  Adala and Tanmeya Party  Kefaya Movement  Egyptians Against Corruption Movement along with 6 April activists who called for strikes and protests against the political  economic and social conditions in Egypt.

 The declaration consisted of ten items  each of which was read in a protest in front of the Council of the State’s headquarters in Cairo among the events of the Day of Rage presented by the participant political forces among them was Ayman Nour the founder of Al–Ghad party who was released from prison last February.

 Following is the full text of the ten items:

 1– Calling for the establishment of a committee in which two thirds are elected and the other third is chosen from a group of Constitutional Law professors and judges of the Constitutional Court  for the purpose of working for one year on a new Constitution for the state according to the latest international conventions of rights and freedoms.

2– The established committee should submit draft laws at the end of its work to be submitted to the parliament. The bills should include the required amendments in particular with regard to initiation of political rights and freedom to form political parties and election of the president of the Republic and Parliament.

 3– Circulation of the election mechanism  such as the election of  mayors in villages college deans  and the conversion of local administration to a real local government through fair elections and the return of full judicial supervision of all elections.

 4– Controlling the legal and judicial situation in Egypt and abolishing the state of emergency and all exceptional legislations as well as ensuring the independence of the judiciary and the general prosecution and the non–intervention of the Minister of Justice in any case

 5– Redefining the narrow and limited role of the President Institution in other words to end the one man show governing state.

6– Each power the president has or give to his vice president is under accountability before the constitutional and parliamentary institutions.

7– Media ownership freedom and the prohibition of the state intervention in its management and work.

8– Announcing a set of policies to counter political and economic corruption protect public properties and wealth confiscation.

9– Eliminating all obstructions of peaceful exchange of power in Egypt and permitting all movements and forces to form political parties and publish newspapers  to eliminate all restrictions on bloggers and releasing them as well as all prisoners of opinion and giving fair compensation to all detainees.

10– Giving up on the inheritance project working on establishing a civil state supporting citizens’ rights by stopping the security intervention in all aspects of life.