The Nour party, which is the second largest in Egypt’s new parliament, is made up of salafis, Islamists who are more conservative than the Brotherhood. They lobbied for the constituent assembly to be dominated by members of parliament, giving Islamists more influence on the process. A party member said yesterday, during the joint session of parliament, that it is the majority’s right to write the constitution.
Some party members have expressed the desire to write into the constitution that Islamic law is the only source of legislation rather than the principle source, or to make other changes in wording that make a more direct connection between the constitution and Islamic law. But a spokesman for the party, Mohamed Nour, said the party would leave the second article as it was in the previous constitution.
He also said the party wants the new constitution to clearly lay out the rights of citizens. Mubarak’s regime repressed the Brotherhood and salafis, and they were often subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, and abuse. Mr. Nour says the party prefers a parliamentary system, but would support a mixed system. Each institution’s authority, however, should be clearly spelled out in the constitution, he says.
