Egypt: Presidential Elections May Be Postponed
By Ria Novosti
Presidential elections in Egypt may be postponed until mid 2012, Al Masry Al Youm newspaper reported Sunday.
Egyptian ex-president Hosni Mubarak, 82, stepped down on February 11 after two weeks of protests against his 30-year rule. The protests left more than 360 people dead and about 5,500 injured. New presidential elections are expected to be held in the end of 2011.
The military Supreme Council, which is temporarily running the country, may postpone the elections, the paper said.
“There is a strong trend within the SCAF to hold parliamentary elections in September and put off presidential elections to June 2012, so the new Constitution is drafted before presidential elections,” the paper cited sources as saying.
Earlier this month, Egyptians approved constitutional changes that will allow Egypt’s military rulers to move swiftly to elections.
The changes ease requirements for independent candidates seeking the presidency, restore full judicial supervision for elections, limit the presidency to two four-year terms (currently, there is no limit), and stipulate a public referendum for any state of emergency that lasts longer than six months (as Egypt was under one for the last 30 years).
