Egypt Decree: Parliamentary Vote in 2014, Presidential Vote Later

No Specific Dates Set, But Junta Will Rule at Least Through December

Egypt’s “interim” President Adly Mansour has issued a decree today laying out in broad terms a roadmap for new elections, setting the stage for a parliamentary election at some point in early 2014.

According to the decree, the junta will draft a new constitution, with a committee of judges likely to control much of the drafting process, and a final document being created by another, as-yet-uncreated committee. The referendum on this new constitution could come in five months.

At least it might. The promise is worded vaguely on the five months, with some noting that it really only obliges the interim regime to start the process around the elections by the end of that period, and not necessarily have the vote by then.

Even then, the presidential vote is completely up in the air, with Mansour only saying it would come at some point after the parliamentary elections were finished. That could take quite some time, and suggests the “interim” in Mansour’s title could be a pretty long period of time.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.