Nour Party rejects calls to change the Constitution

Younis Makhyoun, president of the Nour Party warned of the monopoly of one current over the political scene and asserted that it will continue to defend the Egyptian identity and Islamic Sharia. 

In response to demands by some civil forces to change the currently suspended Constitution, Makhyoun said in a statement posted on his personal Facebook page that these demands reveal that those he called “ultra secularists” do not respect the will of Egyptians. 

The Constitution was drafted by a mostly Islamist constituent assembly and passed a referendum in December after most non-Islamist members of the assembly had resigned in protest.

Makhyoun wrote in his statement that the Egyptian people are religious by nature and will not give up on their identity whatever secularists may desire.

“We warn of the dangers of one current, that has not been elected by the people, imposing its will over the Constitution and ruling the country on its own while excluding the others. If this occurs, the rifts in society will widen,” he wrote.

The Nour Party has collaborated with the military and civil forces to form a government following Morsi's ouster on July 3 at the hands of the Armed Forces after mass demonstrations calling for his resignation. The party was able to impose its will, causing the revocation of Mohamed ElBaradei’s appointment as prime minister. He was later appointed vice president. The newly-formed Cabinet includes no Islamist figures, however.

In an earlier message on his Facebook page, Makhyoun addressed ElBaradei, blaming him for not having a strong reaction to the violence used against pro-Morsi protesters in clashes last Friday.

Makhyoun defended his party's position asserting that it is not after deals to advance its partisan interests but rather it is trying to preserve the gains of the January 25 revolution.

The Nour Party communicated its concerns to EU Chief of foreign affairs Catherine Ashton in a meeting with her earlier today.

Sherif Taha, the spokesperson of the party said on Tuesday that the party has asserted to Ashton the importance of preserving the gains of the revolution, including the Constitution and newly gained rights and freedoms for all factions. They warned her, Taha said, of the consequences of marginalizing a political current.