CAIRO – Egyptian military has set a vote on constitutional change provisionally for March 19 as a prelude to a parliamentary election in June followed by a presidential poll to usher in full democracy, army sources said on Tuesday.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, running the Arab world’s most populous nation since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak on February 11, is sticking to a short timetable to open a new chapter in modern Egyptian history.
“The timeframe the young people announced is a preliminary timetable for the key events within the coming months,” an army source said when asked about comments from youth leaders who met the council last week and disclosed the March 19 date.
The youth leaders said a parliamentary election would be held in June with a presidential vote six weeks later. The military, which promised to guard against a “counter revolution” after fears that Mubarak’s inner circle would try to keep its grip on power, could make more cabinet changes later in the week after a recent reshuffle, the source said.
There is growing speculation in political circles that Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq may step down. Appointed by Mubarak in his last days in office, the premier was the target of a protest in Tahrir Square on Friday calling for his removal.
