Army Suspended Constitution and Dissolved Parliament in Egypt

Yesterday the Egyptian Armed Forces announced the dissolution of the People’s Assembly and Shura, both houses of Parliament, and the suspension of the Constitution, with this initiatives they have began dismantling the institutions of former President Hosni Mubarak regime, who gave them power.

The High Military Command has not given a timetable for the transition, but the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces announced they will be in power only six months or until legislative and republic presidency elections.
Moreover, they affirmed their commitment to international treaties, especially the one signed with Israel in 1979 to make peace.

The Supreme Council, composed of 20 generals, established a commission to amend and prepare a referendum on the changes.

The dissolution of Parliament, whose members were elected in the elections of 2010, and the revision of the Constitution, which limits the conditions of candidacy for the presidency, are part of the popular demands.

The Egyptian cabinet, appointed when Mubarak was still in power, will not be subject to greater changes and they will oversee the political transition to a civilian administration in the coming months.

The initial response from opposition figures and leaders of the protests was positive, but the demonstrators refused to leave the place that has been the center of the protests for 18 days. “We need more, more is needed” they sang while demanding the immediate release of political prisoners, lifting the emergency rule used by Mubarak to repress the opposition, the closure of military courts, fair elections and quick transfer of power to civilians.