As political divisions ensue and a crisis between the judiciary and President Mohamed Morsi mounts, judges and legal experts debate how Egypt’s national charter will make it to the polls
Ahram Online, Monday 3 Dec 2012
The national referendum on Egypt’s draft constitution is set to take place in less than two weeks, despite opposition forces continuing to condemn President Mohamed Morsi’s move to push through the national charter and to issue the contentious Constitutional Declaration immunising the body which authored the constitution.
The Judges Club announced it would boycott the referendum and not supervise the polling stations as is usual practice in Egypt, in protest of what they called Morsi’s “power grab” decree which they said impinged on their independence.
This prompted Egypt’s Supreme Judicial Council to announce Monday that it will allocate judges and members of the prosecution to supervise the constitution referendum despite the strike action.
Nevertheless, this may not be binding as the striking judges responded by saying that the SJC decision is not final and they can always individually refuse to participate.
File photo: An Egyptian man fills in his ballot indicating “Yes” at a polling station during voting for a referendum on constitutional amendments at a polling station in Cairo March 19, 2011 (Photo: Reuters)