Article
Nathan J. Brown
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Egyptians Poised To Vote On Controversial New Constitution
The big winners of Egypt’s constitutional draft are the very institutions that overturned the Morsi government.
Published on Dec 6, 2013
Source: NPR All Things Considered
Egyptians are preparing to vote on a new constitution. A year earlier, they voted on a constitution backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, drafted under former president Mohammed Morsi. Speaking to NPR’s All Things Considered, Carnegie’s Nathan Brown said the big winners of the constitutional draft are the very institutions that overturned the Morsi government. Brown listed these institutions as the military, the security apparatus, the judiciary (to some extent), and other parts of the state structure like the religious establishment.
“All these institutions, essentially, got guarantees that they would be insulated from civilian politics,” he argued. While these institutions see themselves as being responsible for the entire Egyptian nation, they don’t want to be held accountable to the day-to-day politics, so they are beyond any mechanisms of democratic accountability in this constitution, Brown contended. A number of clauses in the constitutional draft defer their main subject to ordinary legislation, he said. “We won’t know what this constitution means fully until we have a parliament that’s sitting down and writing laws to implement these provisions,” Brown concluded.
About the Author
Nathan J. Brown
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Nathan J. Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, is a distinguished scholar and author of nine books on Arab politics and governance, as well as editor of five books.
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Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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