Atlantic Council

The president of the association of Egyptian judges said Thursday that they were abandoning their neutrality toward the coming presidential runoff in an effort to guard against an Islamist monopoly of power. Ahmed el-Zend, who was re-elected president of the association a few months ago, said in a televised address that if the group’s members had known Islamists would win most of the seats in Parliament after elections that ended in January, they would not have supervised the voting, and he suggested that they might refuse to oversee the runoff. He convened a news conference to respond to criticism by the Islamist-led Parliament of the weak verdict a panel of judges handed down last weekend in the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak. But the effect of Judge Zend’s appearance was a public pitch for the presidential campaign of Ahmed Shafik, the last prime minister under Mr. Mubarak, who is now squaring off against the Brotherhood’s nominee, Mohamed Morsi.

GOVERNMENT

Tayyeb outlines Al-Azhar's constitutional demands

[Al Youm Al Sabi`, Arabic, 6/8/2012; Egypt Independent, English, 6/7/2012]

Egyptian citizens should place the interests of the nation above dispute and conflict, said Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb on Thursday. In his statement, Tayyeb asked for the adoption of a document issued by Al-Azhar in January that outlined constitutional principles and parameters, and which was welcomed by many political forces as important for the shaping of Egypt’s new constitution. Tayyeb’s statement said the January Al-Azhar document advocates for a democratic, constitutional modern state. The constitution should grant complete equality and civil rights, according to the document. Tayyeb added that the state should guarantee human rights, and ensure that there is no discrimination based on sex, religion or other criteria. With five representatives in the constituent assembly, Al Azhar promised to retain article 2 of the former constitution.

Update: Constituent Assembly deal reached as SCAF tries to protect its interests

[Egypt Independent, English, 6/7/2012]

Under pressure from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, political forces announced Thursday that they had come to an agreement on the makeup of the Constituent Assembly tasked with writing Egypt’s next constitution. The proposal was discussed with the military council before being officially announced. The political forces and the SCAF were locked in a meeting that extended to Thursday night, which resulted in the SCAF’s approval of the proposition. Field Marshal Tantawi has now called for a meeting on Tuesday, 12 June to select the members of the Constituent Assembly. The assembly has been split straight down the middle between Islamists and non-Islamists, signaling a victory for secular and liberal forces after the initial formation had a decidedly Islamist majority. It was also agreed that in order to pass a proposed article for the new constitution, the article must be approved by a 67 percent vote. If the article does not garner the required percentage of votes, it would be reworded and then voted on again, with only 57 percent needed to pass it the second time.

COURTS

Egyptian Judge Speaks Against Islamist Victory Before Presidential Runoff

[Al Dostor, Arabic, 6/8/2012; NYT, English, 6/7/2012; For Al Jazeera Arabic TV coverage, click here]

The president of the association of Egyptian judges said Thursday that they were abandoning their neutrality toward the coming presidential runoff in an effort to guard against an Islamist monopoly of power. Ahmed el-Zend, who was re-elected president of the association a few months ago, said in a televised address that if the group’s members had known Islamists would win most of the seats in Parliament after elections that ended in January, they would not have supervised the voting, and he suggested that they might refuse to oversee the runoff. He convened a news conference to respond to criticism by the Islamist-led Parliament of the weak verdict a panel of judges handed down last weekend in the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak. But the effect of Judge Zend’s appearance was a public pitch for the presidential campaign of Ahmed Shafik, the last prime minister under Mr. Mubarak, who is now squaring off against the Brotherhood’s nominee, Mohamed Morsi.

SOCIETY

Update: Marches set off toward Tahrir from mosques around Cairo

[Al Masry Al Youm, Arabic; Egypt Independent, English, 6/8/2012]

Protesters marching from mosques in Giza arrived in Tahrir Square on Friday afternoon carrying a 6-meter long banner bearing photos of the 25 January revolution martyrs. The number of participants in the protest has reached the thousands. Marchers carried banners with sarcastic statements, such as “Urgent: Mubarak acquitted in retrial.” They also chanted for the fall of military rule and handed out flyers criticizing Ahmed Shafiq, Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister who will compete in the upcoming presidential runoff. Another march departed from Giza's Istiqamah Mosque after Sheikh Mazhar Shahin delivered the Friday sermon to hundreds of protesters. Shahin called on protesters to continue the demonstrations until the goals of the revolution are achieved. A mock trial for former regime officials is planned for 5 pm in the square, followed by marches at 6 pm to the Supreme Constitutional Court to demand the dismissal of Public Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud and to the People’s Assembly.

Coptic bishop says he welcomes Islamist president

[Egypt Independent, English, 6/8/2012]

A church leader said Thursday he welcomes an Islamist president provided that he respects the rights of Copts and civil liberties. Bishop Passanty, the bishop of Helwan and Ma'sara and a member of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church, made his comments on the Al-Arabiya satellite network. Passanty's statement was the first of its kind by a church leader after media reports claimed that Copts voted for former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq during the first round of the presidential election upon church instructions. Bishop Pachomius, the acting pope, has denied these reports.

Egypt female rights official battles Islamists

[Reuters, English, 6/8/2012]

The head of Egypt's state council for women has accused resurgent Islamists of seeking to roll back female rights on such issues as divorce and custody and undermine the council as a discredited remnant of the Hosni Mubarak era. The Muslim Brotherhood, whose Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) dominates parliament, has dismissed the council as an institution that was "a weapon of the former regime to break up and destroy families" in a statement on its website. Association with ousted leader Mubarak and his first lady Suzanne, an outspoken but disputed advocate of their cause, has made it harder for women's rights campaigners to counter what they see as a threat from newly empowered Islamists. Mervat Tallawy, head of the National Council for Women, said Egypt needed to reinstate a quota system, or amend its electoral laws, to ensure women were properly represented in parliament. 

ECONOMY

Saudi mulls funding Egyptian projects worth $230m: Ambassador

[Al-Watan, Arabic; Ahram Online, English, 6/8/2012]

The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) is reviewing three projects proposed by the Egyptian government worth a total of $230 million, the Kingdom's Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Kattan said in a statement on Friday. The first project is worth $60 million to supply Nasr City with drinking water. The second is worth $80 million to renew and replace irrigation pumps. The third is worth $90 million to build vertical silos to store seeds. A joint committee from the SFD, along with the Egyptian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, will be formed to arrange support for small and medium enterprises in Egypt with $200 million of Saudi money. The ambassador, however, did not provide details of the timeframe through which such funds would be disbursed.

Egypt bars brokerages from trading foreign stocks

[Al Arabiyya, English, 6/7/2012]

Egypt’s markets watchdog has told local brokerages and portfolio management firms that they can no longer trade foreign securities, saying it exposes investors to risks that Egyptian authorities are unable to monitor. A decree signed this week by Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri amends Egypt’s capital market law to make it illegal for the firms to deal in all foreign listed or unlisted securities with the exception of locally traded global depositary receipts (GDRs), financial regulator EFSA said. Traders said the restrictions were imposed after Egyptian investors suffered losses from a sharp drop in Facebook shares after the social platform’s initial public offering. But they said the new restriction could be motivated by a desire to limit transfers of hard currency abroad. It said the trading ban was motivated by efforts to make markets safer and more stable and protect investor rights. It gave local fund managers six months to adjust their portfolios in line with the decree. 

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Outrage in Libya over Cairo talks with Gaddafi remnants

[AFP/Ahram Online, English, 6/7/2012]

A meeting in Cairo between former officials of Muammar Gaddafi's regime and an envoy dispatched by Libya's interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil has sparked widespread anger and demands for an explanation. Thousands of supporters of the former regime fled Libya during and after the regime's fall, with the majority resettling in Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Morocco. News of the Cairo meeting upset several Libyan personalities including Akili, who slammed the move as "an insult to the martyrs and the aims of the February 17 revolution" which led to Gaddafi's ouster and killing in 2011.

Egyptian FM calls on Syrian opposition to unite

[Egypt Independent, English, 6/7/2012]

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said Thursday that Syrian opposition groups should reach a unified vision to solve the crisis in the country. Amr said that the Syrian opposition should reach an agreement on how to stop the violence, which is increasing. He said that this should take place within the framework of the Arab League. During a meeting with members of Friends of Syria, held on the sidelines of Global Counter-Terrorism Forum in Istanbul, Amr stressed Egypt’s belief in the importance of drumming up support for the UN mission, while evaluating its success on the ground, as the only available path to stopping the bloodshed.

Photo Credit: AP