EGYPT: GOVERNMENT :
No job description for incoming president

5/31/2012 4:54:34 AM
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CAIRO - Egyptian presidential hopefuls are running for the country top job even though there is no presidential job description yet. - An unresolved dispute over who will write a new constitution for post-Mubarak Egypt has put the country in the unusual position of voting for a president with undefined authority. Egypt’s last constitution with presidential power description was suspended by The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) after Mubarak was toppled during a popular uprising in February 2011. A constitutional declaration passed by a national referendum was intended to serve as a stop-gap measure until a new charter could be written. In the absence of a new constitution, Egypt's next president will begin his tenure without any legal document to adequately define his authorities and responsibilities. Commentators warn that the situation could spark a power struggle between the predominantly Islamist parliament and the ruling military council – with each side trying to carve out executive authorities. (END/RADIO BULLETIN EDITOR/2012)

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