Some facts about Egypt's three constituent assemblies
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Egypt appointed a new constituent assembly on Sunday, the third since a popular uprising toppled President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
This week, Cairo-based blogger Mina Fayek posted a very useful infographic on his blog detailing the composition of the 50-member assembly ordered to review amendments to the constitution signed by Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Mursi, at the end of last year.
Mursi was overthrown in an army takeover on July 3 which sparked violent protests, resulting in the killing of at least 900 people, most of them Islamist supporters of Mursi.
The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) said on Monday that women's representation in the assembly – 10 percent - was 'thin' according to the Egypt Independent.
Prominent columnist and journalist Farida El Shoubashy said the number of seats allocated tofemale members was not sufficient, but the five women chosen were “heavyweight,” Daily News Egypt reported.
Here are some facts about Egypt's three constituent assemblies:
- The first post-revolution constituent assembly had 100 members, six of them women. It was dissolved in April 2012 after being declared unrepresentative of the Egyptian people.
- A second constituent assembly was formed in June 2012. It had 100 members, seven women among them. Many female members, and most liberals and Christian leaders had resigned by the end of the year after months of controversy and debate over the role of Islam in the new constitution.
- The third assembly was nominated on Sunday, with 50 members, five of them women, and few Islamists.
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