Former interior minister leads new group in support of constitution

A new group called Egypt is My Country Front is urging a “yes” vote for the January referendum on the constitution. 

Former Interior Minister Ahmed Gamal Eddin is the Front’s general coordinator. Eddin served as interior minister under Morsi, until he was replaced by incumbent minister Mohamed Ibrahim in January 2013. He also served under former Interior Minister Mansour Essawy, who was in office from March-December 2011, under the guardianship of the military council.

Essawy and Eddin were harshly criticized for overseeing the violent security measures taken against protesters during the Mohamed Mahmoud and cabinet clashes of November and December 2011.

Ali Gomaa is the honorary president of the Front, and journalist Moustafa Bakry, also a controversial political figure, is the spokesperson.

Eddin said that Egyptians should rally around “national figures in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections,” state news agency MENA reported Monday.

The former minister was speaking at the Front’s first press conference, held in Nasr City, with former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa and a number of former ministers and governors present, MENA reported.

He urged interim President Adly Mansour to hold presidential elections after the referendum and before the parliamentary vote.

Ali Awwad Saleh, the presidency’s advisor on constitutional affairs, denied news reports published on Monday that quoted him as saying that the possibility of holding presidential elections first is under review.

This comes amidst growing debate over the merits of holding parliamentary or presidential elections first, a discussion that was also raised during the military council’s stint in power after Hosni Mubarak’s ouster.

Awwad was quoted in several media outlets as saying that the interim President is considering holding presidential elections after the referendum on the constitution. However, he denied these reports, saying that this matter is in the hands of the presidency and he is not the right person to comment on it.

He told state news portal Al-Ahram that the roadmap is clear and any changes related to it have to come from the President, and not his advisors. 

Meanwhile, the Salafi Nour Party also launched Monday its campaign to promote a “yes” for the new draft constitution.

The party’s media office launched an online campaign with a Facebook page. The party has also prepared posters and completed informational brochures for distribution, in an attempt to answer possible questions on the draft constitution and the referendum.

Nour’s media office discussed the media campaign that will promote voter participation, as well as the positive aspects of the draft constitution.

The committee of 50 tasked with drafting the constitution completed its work earlier this month, a process that began after former President Mohamed Morsi was removed from office in July.

The divisive 2012 Constitution pushed through in a rushed process under Morsi was suspended when the army forced him out of power following mass protests against the former president. An interim president and cabinet were appointed, and the committee of 50 was convened to amend the constitution.

While many recognized the positive aspects and gains made in this constitution, in comparison to the one passed under Morsi, a number of contentious articles are weighing heavily on sentiment toward the document, particularly by revolutionary forces. These include the failure to completely ban military trials for civilians, to fully guarantee freedom of belief and to allow unrestricted access to information.

On Saturday, interim President Adly Mansour set the January dates for the referendum, but even before then, “yes” campaigning had already begun, most prominently through giant billboards on Cairo’s main roads.

Makram Mohamed Ahmed, a journalist and former head of the syndicate, said that the new draft “gives Egyptians rights that were not granted in the previous constitution,” referring specifically to articles that obligate the state to provide health and education services to citizens.

Interviewed on state TV's evening news broadcast, Ahmed said, “Egypt needs a president before parliamentary elections.”

He urged the government to adjust the roadmap to reflect the desire of “most Egyptians,” and added that he does not comprehend the reasoning of Amr Moussa, head of the committee of 50, to hold parliamentary elections first.

Sameh Seif Elyazal, a strategist and retired army general, said that “police and army forces will not allow any acts against citizens during the referendum voting process, adding the security forces have plans in place to deal with any actions that fall outside the law.”

Speaking Monday morning in a televised interview on state television, Elyazal said optimistically, “The light at the end of the dark tunnel is getting brighter everyday,” referring to the implementation of the roadmap set after Morsi’s ouster.

Military and police forces have said they will work together to secure the referendum and ensure a safe voting process.