commentary

News from Egypt

Published on April 28, 2011

Egypt

OCTOBER 25

An Egyptian security forces raid has resulted in the death of one Libyan terrorist, Karim Ahmed Essam el-Azizi, suspected of involvement in last month’s Benghazi consulate attack, and the detainment of four Egyptian militants with suspected ties to al-Qaeda in the restive district of Nasr City, Cairo. Police say that they found fifteen bombs and various weapons in his rented apartment; el-Azizi was killed by a bomb he tried to use against police. | Reuters

The Socialist Popular Alliance Party voiced its disapproval of Egypt’s draft constitution on Wednesday, describing the proposal as the “reinstatement of oppression” by the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist parties. | Al-Ahram

An IMF team will arrive in Cairo next week to resume discussions on a $4.8 billion loan that Egypt has requested to shore up its finances, an IMF spokeswoman said on Wednesday. | Reuters

OCTOBER 24

Egyptian Popular Current leader and former presidential contender Hamdeen Sabbahi joined representatives from Egypt’s opposition groups and civil society organizations in a press conference, to announce the launch of a national front defending a “constitution for all Egyptians.” | Al-Ahram

Egypt, a gas producer and exporter, has agreed to import Algerian gas and is in talks with Qatar for a similar deal, the prime minister said on Wednesday, a move that may help Egypt meet its own export contracts while domestic demand rises. | Reuters

Foreign direct investment in Egypt has made a partial recovery following last year’s uprising, with inflows hitting $2.5 billion in the first half of 2012, a United Nations report said on Tuesday. | Al-Ahram

Egypt’s interior minister said security forces have intercepted a group of smugglers bringing in weapons from Libya. Authorities intercepted two trucks carrying 25 rockets, 102 rocket-propelled grenades, and 102 mortar rounds just 270 miles west of Cairo. | AP

OCTOBER 23

Egypt’s Administrative Court referred a lawsuit on the fate of the Constituent Assembly to the Supreme Constitutional Court. The decision means the status of the constitution-drafting body remains uncertain. The court will begin investigating the case within 45 days. | Al-Ahram; AP

Egypt’s prosecutor general ordered an investigation into allegations of irregularities and forgery in the presidential election, after candidate Ahmed Shafiq filed a complaint. | AP

Egypt’s prime minister denied a report that he asked Algeria’s government for $2 billion to shore up a struggling economy during an official visit to the country this week, Egypt’s state news agency reported. | Reuters

Former head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Hussein Tantawi, said that he personally picked the current Minister of Defense El-Sissy to succeed him and told President Morsi of his desire to leave months earlier, before abruptly being forced into retirement in early August 2012. | El-Aosboa; Egypt Independent

OCTOBER 22

Egyptian authorities have frozen the assets of presidential candidate and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq and his daughters as part of an investigation into his wealth. | AP

Prime Minister Hisham Qandil is in Algeria to discuss gaining assistance worth $2 billion from the rich North African country. Egypt is seeking a deposit in its central bank and it is unclear whether the money will be in the form of a loan or grant. | Reuters

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Egyptian political party, the Freedom and Justice Party, chose veteran conservative Saad al-Katatni as its new leader on Friday October 19 to replace Mohamed Morsi. | Reuters

OCTOBER 19

Liberal and leftist political parties and groups have started a Tahrir Square protest today against what they consider the domination of the Muslim Brotherhood over Egyptian political life. Protesters will also voice their rejection of a draft constitution proposed by Egypt's Constituent Assembly. | Al-Ahram

A Court in Cairo sentenced El-Sayed El-Badawi, the head of the Wafd liberal party and CEO of Sigma media company, to three years in jail and set bail at 10,000LE for writing a check to the Egyptian Football Association that bounced. | Al-Ahram

OCTOBER 18

President Morsi ordered the suspension of the editor-in-chief of the state run Al-Gomhouria newspaper, Gamal Abdel Rehim, for publishing a news story about former SCAF heads. | Daily News Egypt

Muslim Brotherhood leader Saad Al-Katatni said that the Freedom and Justice Party will contest 100 percent of seats and is seeking a 51 percent majority in the upcoming parliamentary elections. | Daily News Egypt

OCTOBER 17

Several political groups and parties are calling for a mass demonstration on Friday under the slogan "Egypt for all Egyptians/Egypt is not your Manor" to demand social justice and to protest the recent draft constitution for not representing all Egyptians. | Al-Ahram

Constituent Assembly leader Hossam el-Gheriany said that the final draft of Egypt's new constitution will be voted on by the Constituent Assembly during the second week of November. | Al-Ahram

The Cairo Administrative Court said on Tuesday that it will give its final verdict on the constitutionality of Egypt's constitution-drafting body on October 23. | Al-Ahram

OCTOBER 16

The head of Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court, judge Maher El-Beheiri, declared that the court rejects all constitutional draft articles concerning its powers. The court says that the draft articles attempt to interfere in its affairs and are too vague. | Al-Ahram

Egypt's prosecutor general ordered Monday the investigation of two Muslim Brotherhood leaders, Mohamed El-Beltagy and Essam El-Erian, on allegations that they instigated violence against non-Islamists protesters critical of the country's Islamist president. | AP

The Swiss Foreign Ministry said that Switzerland has blocked around $753 million in assets tied to Egypt's ex-president Hosni Mubarak and his entourage. | Al-Ahram

OCTOBER 15

Authorities have launched a civilian investigation of former SCAF members for their alleged role in the killing of protesters during their eighteen months in power. An investigative judge has been assigned to look into accusations against officers including the head of the ruling military council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi. | AP

In a recent report published by the Cairo-based Nadim Centre for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims, 34 cases of death, 88 cases of torture, and seven cases of sexual assault at the hands of Egyptian police were recorded during Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s first 100 days in office. | Al-Ahram

On Sunday Egyptian Prosecutor-General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud stated that the recent drama over President Mohamed Morsi’s attempt to reassign him to a diplomatic post was “over.” Mahmoud had previously said that he will never leave his post against his will unless he is assassinated and suggested that Islamists are capable of doing that, at a press conference in his office. | Al-Ahram

OCTOBER 11

The Cairo criminal court acquitted 24 loyalists of ousted President Hosni Mubarak’s regime who had been accused of organizing the bloody “Camel Battle,” in which assailants on horses and camels charged into crowds in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. | AP; Al-Ahram

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood called for demonstrations demanding the retrial of those responsible for protester deaths after the court ruling acquitting 24 Mubarak loyalists. In a statement, the Brotherhood called on Egyptians to express their anger in a million-man march in Tahrir Square. | AFP

OCTOBER 10

Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court on Tuesday postponed a ruling on the fate of the assembly charged with writing the country's new constitution to October 16. | Al-Ahram

The first complete draft of Egypt's new constitution will be revealed to the public on Wednesday, kicking off a campaign aimed at raising awareness and soliciting feedback on the country's first post-Mubarak charter. | Al-Ahram

Egypt's urban consumer inflation slowed to 6.2 percent in the year to September, the state statistics agency reported on Wednesday, indicating economic activity continues to be slow despite government efforts to raise business confidence. Prices rose 6.5 percent in the 12 months to August. | Reuters

OCTOBER 9

President Morsi issued a decree pardoning all those charged with or convicted of acts "in support of the revolution" potentially benefiting more than 1,000 protesters currently on trial following their arrests during demonstrations since the 2011 uprising. | AP

Egypt's central bank says the country's net foreign reserves have dropped by $84 million last month to stand at $15 billion, despite a projected boost from Qatar. | AP

A coalition of 33 women's rights organizations are set to march to the presidential Human Rights Watch urged the Egyptian Constituent Assembly to amend articles in the draft constitution it says represses the rights of women and children and limit freedom of religion and expression. | AP

Prime Minister Qandil said that Egypt is aiming to cut its energy subsidies by up to a third, $6.5 billion of $17.2 billion, over the coming year as part of an ambitious plan to reform the economy. Qandil also said that he hopes to finalize negotiations with the IMF by the end of October. | Financial Times; Al-Ahram

OCTOBER 4

Egypt warned Syria's government on Thursday not to violate the borders of its neighbors and said it saw numerous dangers to the region if the conflict spreads. | Reuters

An Egyptian court on Thursday convicted Hosni Mubarak-era steel magnate and former National Democratic Party leader Ahmed Ezz of money laundering, sentencing him to seven years in prison and fining him $3 billion. | AP; Al-Ahram

A coalition of 33 women's rights organizations are set to march to the presidential palace to submit a document to President Mohamed Morsi outlining rights they want enshrined in the upcoming constitution. | Al-Ahram

OCTOBER 3

A few hundred women and men gathered outside the Shura Council headquarters in Cairo on Tuesday to protest proposed clauses in the draft constitution, Article 36, which they argued threatens women’s rights. | Al-Ahram

Critics allege that the new Egyptian constitution offers fewer religious freedoms, saying that Article 8 of Egypt’s draft constitution may take away religious freedoms stipulated in previous constitutions. | Al-Ahram

Two Coptic Christian children Nabil Nagy Rizk, 10, and Mina Nady Farag, 9, were arrested, Tuesday, for insulting Islam in the Upper Egyptian governorate Beni Suef, after the imam of their local mosque filed a complaint against them. | Al-Ahram

OCTOBER 2

A high-level Egyptian security delegation left for Syria on Monday in a rare visit, Cairo airport officials said. The delegation’s mission was not immediately clear. | AP

The Administrative Court in Cairo adjourned the case calling for the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly on Tuesday, to October 9. | Al-Ahram

The U.S. Department of State said Monday it would work with Congress to try to unblock some $450 million in economic aid for Egypt, after a U.S. lawmaker froze the funds. | Al-Ahram

OCTOBER 1

Doctors from 540 of Egypt’s public hospitals and clinics have started a nationwide open-ended partial strike, calling for an increase in state budget funds for health care and for better working conditions. | Al-Ahram

Egypt’s state petroleum authority is set to receive a $235 million loan from the Saudi Arabia-based International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation. The loan is part of a total $1 billion loan agreement signed by Egypt with the IDB in July and aimed at funding food and energy imports. | Al-Ahram

Turkey and Egypt signed a $1 billion loan agreement during President Mohamed Morsi’s visit to Ankara; the borrowing is the first tranche of a total reported $2 billion Turkish aid package for Cairo. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 28

Egypt’s Ministry of Interior has agreed to arm law-abiding Sinai tribes to protect their land from terrorists. The new policy is a result of recent initiatives from various political parties and personalities like Ayman Nour to bridge the communication gap between the Sinai’s tribes and the security services. | Al-Ahram

The newly-formed Constitution Party is taking legal measures after two Islamist sheikhs described the party as an ‘infidel’ party and forbade followers from joining the party. | Al-Ahram

Mohamed ElBaradei’s Constitution Party will merge with the Adl Party on Thursday as liberal forces in Egypt regroup to face Islamists in the next parliamentary elections. | Al-Ahram

The independent Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research, Baseera, reported that 79 percent of those surveyed said they approve of the president Morsi’s performance toward the end of his third month in office, with more Shafiq supporters warming up to the Brotherhood leader. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 27

President Morsi addressed the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, focusing on a range of issues including Palestine, Syria, Africa, nuclear proliferation, Islamophobia, and recurrent financial crises. | Al-Ahram

The resignation of Nubian human rights activist Manal El-Tibi on September 24 from the Constituent Assembly has unleashed an avalanche of controversy, commentary, and speculation after the publication of her strongly worded resignation letter. | Al-Ahram

The Nour Party’s supreme committee reportedly sacked its head Emad Abdel-Ghafour for being appointed as one of President’ Morsi’s advisers; in retaliation Emabd Abdel-Ghafour fired back by dismissing committee members. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 26

Egyptian President Morsi is due to address the United Nations General Assembly today. He delivered remarks at yesterday’s Global Clinton Initiative that mainly addressed the anti-Islam film-related violence of the past weeks. | AP

The Ultras Ahlawy, hardcore fans of Egypt’s Ahly football club, stormed Cairo’s Media Production City to protest against alleged football corruption and the controversial television channel Modern TV. | Al-Ahram

A meeting of Egypt’s Constituent Assembly yesterday showed that members are still significantly divided over the fate of the Shura Council and what electoral system should be adopted in the upcoming parliamentary elections. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 25

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reassured Egypt's president that the United States would forge ahead with plans to expand economic assistance despite anti-American protests that cast new shadows over U.S. engagement with the region. Morsi is currently in New York to attend the UN General Assembly. | Reuters

In a televised interview ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, President Mohamed Morsi said the he opposes foreign military intervention in Syria but believes Assad must go. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 21

Israeli troops shot and killed three militants attempting to infiltrate the country from Egypt on Friday, thwarting a major terror attack, the military said. | AP

Egypt's mufti, Ali Gomaa, urged Muslims to endure insults peacefully and not to protest peacefully. Egypt’s leading Islamist groups have refrained from protesting against French cartoons, opting for pursuing legal action and issuing statements of condemnation. | Reuters; Al-Ahram

President Morsi will head to New York on Sunday September 23 to attend the UN General Assembly in his first visit to the U.S. since he was elected. Morsi is not expected to have a private meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 20

Former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahy will launch the Egyptian Popular Current this Friday in a mass rally. Sabahy said that the current is not a party, but will serve as an umbrella group to unite proponents of the civil state. | Al-Ahram

Egyptian President Morsi on Wednesday appointed Mohammed Raafat Abdel-Wahed as the country's new intelligence chief. Abdel-Wahed was instrumental in the Cairo-mediated deal between Hamas and Israel that led to the freeing of Gilad Schalit in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in 2011. | AP

Egypt’s Constituent Assembly agreed to an interim article to be included in the new constitution that will permit President Morsi to continue his presidential term for the full four years after a new constitution is drafted. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 19

A temporary six-month U.S. government funding bill that passed the House last week and should pass a Senate procedural vote today will allow aid to flow to Egypt despite press reports of Washington moving to freeze aid. The measure allows for almost $130 million a month in military and economic aid to Egypt since it permits aid to flow at the same rate as current funding. | Bloomberg

Egyptian human rights groups accused police of torturing an atheist activist Albert Saber and filed a lawsuit against the interior ministry. He is being detained for sharing the recent anti-Islam video on Facebook. | Al-Ahram

A number of groups, including the Socialist Popular Alliance and Tagammu Party will officially launch the Revolutionary Democratic Coalition at a press conference on Wednesday. The coalition aims to create a Leftist bloc able to actively contribute to the country's future and defend the poor and marginalized. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 18

Egypt's general prosecutor issued arrest warrants for seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a Florida-based American pastor and referred them to trial on charges linked to the recent anti-Islam film. | AP

President Morsi met with Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu to discuss the Syria crisis yesterday, followed by a meeting of the “Islamic Quartet,” which includes the foreign ministers of Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. | Washington Post

Anti-American protests that started in Cairo and spread across the Muslim world have stalled negotiations to provide crucial U.S. economic assistance to Egypt, U.S. officials said Monday. | Washington Post

SEPTEMBER 17

Egypt's presidential spokesman said the breaching of the U.S. embassy in Cairo during protests over an anti-Islam film was "unjustified," the strongest denunciation to date to come from the presidency. | AP

Mohamed ElBaradei’s Constitution Party received final formal legal sanction as a political party, following a decision by the High Court's Political Parties Affairs Committee. | Al-Ahram

With the start of the new school year Egypt is facing a new wave of transportation and education sector strikes across the country; staff at 22 universities and 27 public bus garages are on strike. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 14

Fierce clashes renewed around the vicinity of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo following demonstrations after Friday prayer. Over 224 people were injured and three police cars burned in last night’s clashes. | Al-Ahram

In a televised broadcast President Morsi expressed his strongest condemnation of the insulting online film and said that “we all would sacrifice ourselves for the sake of the prophet,” he also condemned the attacks against the American embassies while maintaining that insulting the prophet is a “red line”. | Al-Ahram

The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation revealed that it secured a $450 million loan from the United States to help Egypt balance its payments, and there are talks to forgive $650 million of Egypt’s debt. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 13

Street fighting continue to rage in the streets surrounding the American Embassy in Cairo with 24 officers and soldiers injured and 23 protestors detained thus far. As protests turn violent, Egyptian security forces resort to tear gas and bird-shot to force crowds towards Tahrir Square. | Al-Ahram

President Morsi condemned the attack on Libya that killed the American ambassador and vowed to protect foreign embassies in Cairo, where police were using tear gas to disperse protesters at the U.S. mission. | AP; Reuters

President Barack Obama says the U.S. would not consider Egypt an ally, "but we don't consider them an enemy." He warned that if the Egyptian government takes actions showing "they're not taking responsibility," then it would "be a real big problem." | AP

An Egyptian court has convicted former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif on corruption charges and sentenced him to three years in prison and fined him nearly $750,000. | AP

SEPTEMBER 12

Calm has been restored by Egyptian military forces around the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, after thousands of angry protestors were able to breach embassy walls yesterday. A smaller, more peaceful protest continues in front of the embassy, and some Christians have joined. | Al-Ahram

The Muslim Brotherhood issued a call for mass demonstrations across all of Egypt’s governorates this Friday to protest the recent controversial onlinefilm found offensive by Muslims. | Al-Ahram

Despite recent events, the Egyptian stock market’s main index EGX30 was up one percent, the highest it has been since the 2011 uprising. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 11

Former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq has been referred to the Cairo criminal court on graft and corruption charges for the alleged illegal sale of 40,000 acres of government land to Mubarak’s sons. | Al-Ahram; AP

British Foreign Minister William Hague is in Cairo today to discuss with President Morsi the Syrian crisis and the state of their bilateral relations. | Al-Shorouk

Egypt’s finance minister revealed in a statement that the budgetary deficit will rise from eight to eleven percent of GDP due to an increase in government spending and a drop in tax revenue. He also said that the Suez Canal is Egypt’s only profitable sector, and that Egypt must take loans in order to balance its payments. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 10

Officials from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran will meet in Cairo today to discuss the Syrian crisis. | Reuters

SEPTEMBER 6

Four police generals, including Qalyoubia's director of security, were acquitted, due to lack of material evidence, of charges of killing protesters during the 2011 uprising. | Al-Ahram

Egypt’s Constituent Assembly has decided that the president will not be head of the police force under the new constitution and that city, district, and local leaders will be elected. | Al-Ahram

The National Bank of Egypt expects to establish the first bank in Egypt specializing in loans to small and medium enterprises within six years. The bank would have capital of $ 8.3 billion. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 5

President Morsi appointed ten new ministers to key governorates across the country, at least four of whom are leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood. The president also appointed a new 27-member body for the National Council of Human Rights, including seven Muslim Brotherhood members and Salafis. | Al-Ahram; Washington Post

There is controversy in the Constitutional Assembly over the best parliamentary electoral system to be adopted in the constitution. Most assembly members prefer a mixed system with the condition that it guarantees equal opportunity. | Al-Ahram

Egypt’s Administrative Court has delayed ruling on dissolving the current Constitutional Assembly until September 8; the lawsuit alleges that the Constitutional Assembly fails to represent all segments of society and is illegitimate because it is unelected. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 4

The Obama administration is close to a deal with Egypt's new government for $1 billion in debt relief, a senior U.S. official said on Monday, as Washington seeks to help Cairo shore up its ailing economy in the aftermath of its pro-democracy uprising. | Reuters

Minister of Finance, Momtaz El-Said, announced that the proposed 2012/2013 budget will ramp up state spending by 8.8 percent ($88.3 billion) while reforming fuel and food subsidies and boosting public wages and investment in infrastructure. | Al-Ahram

Prime Minister Qandil said that Egypt’s economy needs $44.4 billion in new investments this year; he announced that the government intends to realize a growth rate between four and five percent for the upcoming year. | Egypt Independent; NASDAQ

AUGUST 30

President Morsi sparked controversy on his first trip to Iran by calling for an end to Assad’s regime and making a religious reference offensive to Shi’a Muslims during his speech at the Non-Aligned Movement summit. His remarks about Assad prompted the Syrian delegation to walk out. | Al-Ahram

President Morsi pledged to end barriers to Chinese investments in Egypt and establish a stronger relationship with China after securing nearly $6 billion in bilateral agreements. | Al-Ahram

The spokesperson for the Constitutional Assembly, Waheed Abdel Mageed, announced that an amendment banning the detention of journalists in publishing cases and prohibiting lawsuits from unaffected parties has been approved. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 29

The Constituent Assembly revealed that disputes over Article 2 of Egypt's constitution, the one dealing with Sharia Law, will be resolved by a vote among the members, as tensions rise due to Salafis pushing for a more radical interpretation of the clause. | Al-Ahram

Mohamed El Baradei’s Constitution Party is now officially registered as a political party by the Political Party Affairs Committee. The Constitution Party was launched by liberal activists in April 2012 and aims to unite Egyptians regardless of their ideology. | Al-Ahram

Egypt placed former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik on a watch list at border points on Wednesday pending an investigation of alleged corruption, a judiciary source said. | CNBC

AUGUST 28

On the first day of his China trip, President Morsi asked his Chinese counterpart to join Egypt’s new Syria initiative along with Russia, to be added to the current committee of four which includes Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. | Al-Masry al-Youm; Youm7; New York Times

Minister of Justice Ahmed Mekky said that President Morsi is considering new emergency laws to combat “thuggery.” The law could allow the president to impose a state of emergency for one week and allow for the warrantless arrest of those who threaten public safety. | Al-Ahram

President Morsi’s presidential team was announced today; it currently consists of four assistants and seventeen advisers, with Islamists making up the majority. The team includes six members from the Muslim Brotherhood and the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), three from the Salafist Nour Party, two Islamist-leaning independents, and the remainder includes nonpartisan independents. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 27

President Morsi’s office revealed that seven ministers and 70 businessmen will accompany him on his trip to China, and he will accept a $23 million grant from the Chinese government to focus on development projects in Egypt. | Al-Ahram

A United States government economic delegation headed by Under Secretary of State for Economic and Agriculture Affairs Robert Hormats is on a three-day mission to discuss economic cooperation between the United States and Egypt with Egyptian officials and businessmen. | Al-Ahram

The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party issued a statement that it does not take a "negative" stance on an International Monetary Fund loan to Egypt, tacitly backtracking from its previous stance when the loan was first proposed by the previous government. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 24

Clashes between supporters and opponents of President Morsi in Tahrir Square with shots fired occurred. A Few hundred protestors gathered in front of the presidential palace and in other locations across the country to demonstrate against Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. | Al-Ahram; Al-Ahram English

Masked gunmen in the Sinai fire at two military checkpoints in Al-Arish and El-Sheikh Zewaid. No injured were reported. | Al-Ahram

The editor-in-chief of Al-Dostour newspaper who was remanded for insulting President Morsi was released today after Morsi’s executive decision to outlaw the temporary detention of journalists. | Al-Ahram

Wafd Party president, Sayyid al-Badawi, announced that a 50 member “Egyptian National Alliance” will be revealed next week and its purpose will be to stand as an opposition block against the ruling faction and defend the civil state. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 23

Islam Afify, editor-in-chief of Al-Dostour newspaper, was remanded in custody by the Giza Criminal Court until his trial on September 16. Afify is accused of insulting President Mohamed Morsi and publishing inaccurate information, a case that has raised fears about press freedoms in Egypt. | Al-Ahram

Many of Egypt’s political and revolutionary groups announced that they will refrain from participating in the planned August 24 protest against the 'Brotherhoodization' of the state, citing the protest organizers’ ties with counterrevolutionary figures. | Al-Ahram

President Morsi will make his first official visit to Beijing, China on August 28. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the two countries will sign cooperation agreements and discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 22

President Morsi formally requested a $4.8 billion loan during his meeting with the IMF's Christine Lagarde. Finance Minister Momtaz al-Saeed said that Egypt doesn’t intend to devalue the Egyptian pound as a possible loan condition. | Al-Ahram; Bloomberg

President Morsi will visit the United States on September 23, making his first trip to the United States since taking power in June. | Reuters

Israel objected to a move by Egypt's new leaders to deploy tanks in the volatile Sinai border area, calling the action a violation of the 1979 peace accords between the two nations. | Associated Press

AUGUST 21

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde is due to arrive in Cairo to revive discussions on a $3.2 billion fiscal package with Prime Minister Qandil and President Morsi. | Al-Ahram

Leftist revolutionary groups called for a protest to pressure the government to reject proposed IMF and World Bank loans, warning that the loans will pose a threat to Egypt’s political and economic independence. | Al-Ahram

An Egyptian diplomat’s car in Benghazi, Libya was targeted with a car bomb; no injuries were reported. The bombing comes after an attack by frustrated visa applicants on the Egyptian consulate in Tripoli. | Daily News Egypt

AUGUST 20

Egypt’s Syndicate of Journalists condemned The High State Security Prosecution for summoning three opposition editors-in-chief for allegedly insulting President Morsi: Abdel Halim Qandil of Sout El Umma newspaper, Adel Hamouda of the Fajr newspaper, and Islam Afifi of the El-Dostour newspaper. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The French Development Agency approved a $65.8 million loan to Egypt in order to improve and expand the electrical power grid. | Al-Ahram

Egypt’s minister of transportation announced a $3.3 billion plan aimed at solving Cairo’s transportation and traffic crisis. The projects will primarily focus on expanding the metro network, in hopes of decreasing the number of cars on the streets. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 16

The Muslim Brotherhood and Freedom and Justice party to hold a million-strong demonstration today in Tahrir to show public support for President Morsi. The demonstration is a week away from the scheduled August 24 protests by anti-Brotherhood activists. | Al-Ahram

An Al-Azhar cleric issued an edict sanctioning violence against anti-Brotherhood protesters this August 24, and accused them of committing treason against God and Egypt. Mohamed ElBaradei and other critics warn of looming fascism “cloaked in religion”. | Al-Ahram

New Egyptian defense minister, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, spoke with his American counterpart yesterday and assured him that Sinai will not be fertile ground for terrorism. The United States is pledging more military aid to peacekeeping forces in the Sinai, along with new tracking systems. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 14

Islamists organized large demonstrations across Egypt’s governorates in support of Morsi’s decisions; leaders of the Freedom and Justice Party, the Nour Party, the Building and Development Party, along with April 6 Youth Movement led demonstrations in support of the abrogation of the SCAF constitutional addendum and the removal of Field Marshal Tantwai. | Al-Ahram

President Morsi retired more generals and appoints new navy, air force, and air defense commanders. | Al-Ahram

The World Bank approved a $200 million loan to fund Egypt’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through the Social Development Fund. This is the first loan from an international organization during the reign of President Morsi, after Islamist politicians caused a stir against the then-proposed World Bank loan in the previous parliament declaring it be against Islamic law. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 13

President Morsi retired head of SCAF, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, and his chief of staff, General Sami Anan, and installed head of military intelligence, General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi as new defense minister. Prominent judge Ahmed Mekky was picked as new vice president, along with a major restructuring of the SCAF. Morsi also abrogated the SCAF-authored June 17 constitutional addendum and replaced it with his own, granting himself both full executive and legislative powers. | Al-Ahram

Political figures and groups from across the spectrum voiced broad support for the president's move against Egypt's military. Many liberals and seculars have reservations over Morsi’s consolidation of power, and others fear a full Brotherhood takeover. | Al-Ahram

Senior judges and other legal experts argue that Morsi's decision to revoke the June constitutional addendum contradicts the presidential oath he took before the High Constitutional Court. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 10

The Egyptian Armed Forces arrested six "terrorists" in Sinai as part of ongoing “Operation Eagle,” after an attack on a police station in the area earlier this week which killed 16 border guards, state television reported. | Al-Ahram

The Egyptian Military’s Engineering Corps destroyed nearly 150 smuggling tunnels of an estimated 1200 tunnels that connect the Sinai with Gaza. | Al-Ahram

The Faraeen satellite television channel, which is known for its ultra-nationalist, anti-revolutionary, anti-Brotherhood stances, ceased transmission on Thursday evening on orders of Egyptian state authorities following a lawsuit filed by the Freedom and Justice Party. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 8

Egyptian security forces killed twenty terrorists in a Sinai air raid early Wednesday, following the deaths of sixteen Egyptian border guards on Sunday. Egyptian forces also engaged in battles with militants in Northern Sinai shortly after assailants opened fire on three border checkpoints in retaliation to the air strikes. | Al-Ahram; Al Jazeera

Secretary General of Egypt's Constituent Assembly, Amr Darrag, assured the completion of new constitution by the end of week; and that a decision to maintain upper house of parliament will also be made. | Al-Ahram

Iran's vice-president Hamid Baghaei arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to meet President Mohamed Morsi—the first time in decades that a high-ranking Iranian official has visited Egypt. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 7

Prime Minister Qandil was beaten upon arrival at funeral prayers and neither he nor President Morsi could attend the military funeral that followed for the soldiers slain at the Israeli-Egyptian border. | Al-Ahram; Al-Masry al-Youm

The Muslim Brotherhood said Sunday's attack near Egypt's border with Gaza was an Israeli operation aimed at “derailing revolution, sowing chaos on border.” | Al-Ahram

Political groups condemned Sunday border attack that left 16 Egyptian border guards dead and called for an amendment of Camp David peace deal to allow Egyptian military deployments in restive Sinai Peninsula. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 6

Attacks by unknown assailants on Egyptian border guard in the turmoil-hit Sinai left at least 16 dead and seven injured on Sunday, with Egyptian and Palestinian authorities responding fast to the incident. | Al-Ahram; Al-Ahram English

Infuriated at the attack on Egyptian soldiers on Sunday evening, hundreds of Rafah residents (on the Egyptian side of the Egypt-Gaza border) gathered at Sadat Square and blocked the road, preventing trucks heading to the port of Rafah and tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip. | Al-Ahram

A high-level meeting between Sinai’s Governor, military commanders, and the engineering corps discuss destroying all Gaza-Sinai tunnels once and for all. | Al-Shorouk

AUGUST 2

The formation of the government of little-known prime minister and former irrigation minister Hisham Qandil was almost completed on Wednesday. There were few surprises, chief among them was that Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi retained his influential position as defense minister. | al-Ahram

The Salafi Nour Party said it had rejected an appointment in President Mohamed Morsi’s new government. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The World Bank has agreed to give Egypt a loan of $200 million to fund the upgrade of sanitation and sewage infrastructure in four governorates in the Nile Delta and Upper Egypt, an official said on Wednesday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

AUGUST 1

The Constituent Assembly is considering extending the president’s term to five years to match the terms of members of parliament, assembly members said on Monday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday that he was convinced Egypt's new Islamist president was committed to democratic reform, promising that Washington would continue to provide the country's army with significant financial aid. | al-Ahram

Muslim Brotherhood lawyer Abdel-Moneim Abdel-Maqsoud lodged a complaint on Tuesday with the attorney-general against Egypt's media minister, the Egyptian Radio and Television Union, and the editor-in-chief of state-run magazine Rose El-Yousef for circulating "false news" about the Brotherhood and its leaders. | al-Ahram

JULY 31

Religious freedom in Egypt appears to be "quite tenuous" and its government has failed to aggressively prosecute perpetrators of sectarian violence, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday. | al Masry al Youm

Members of the National Front for Protecting the Revolution confirm that the recently-inaugurated President Mohamed Morsi showed willingness to meet promises during a Monday meeting. | Al-Ahram

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is set to have his first meeting with recently-inaugurated Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Tuesday. While in Cairo, Panetta is also expected to meet with Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). | Al-Ahram

JULY 31

Newly-appointed Prime Minister Qandel has said that the shortlist of ministers will be presented to President Morsi on Friday. | Ahram Online

The Socialist Popular Alliance Party has announced a “We Will Not Pay” campaign, urging people not to pay electricity bills in response to continued power outages. | Egypt Independent

JULY 26

JULY 25

El-Baradei’s Constitution Party will form a coalition with other parties at the next parliamentary elections. | Ahram Online

A report by medical examiners has found that Ahmed Abdel Naby, a prisoner who died at the Old Cairo police station on Tuesday, was tortured to death. | Egypt Independent

President Morsi is meeting with leaders from the General Federation of Trade Unions and various individual unions at the presidential palace today. | Ahram Online

JULY 24

President Morsi has selected former Irrigation Minister Hisham Kandil to serve as his Prime Minister. | Ahram Online

JULY 23

Egypt is allowing free temporary entry for Palestinians into the country in an unprecedented move that eases long-imposed travel restrictions. | USA Today

Morsi’s spokesman has denied recent rumors that the new cabinet will be announced on Thursday. | Ahram Online

Mahallah strikes have come to a stop after the Misr Spinning and Weaving Company agreed to increase profit sharing and fixed raises, as well as reform healthcare procedures. | Ahram Online

JULY 22

Commemorating the July 23rd revolution, President Morsi gave a speech saying that while the coup accomplished some goals, it failed to bring about democracy. | Washington Post

JULY 21

Egypt’s top generals led hundreds of mourners at the funeral of former spy chief Omar Suleiman on Saturday. | AP

JULY 18

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi met with General James Mattis, commander of the U.S. Central Command, in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss regional and global changes. | Al-Ahram

JULY 17

Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court is looking into the legitimacy of the lower and upper houses of parliament, the Constituent Assembly, and the Constitutional Declaration today. | Ahram Online

The trial of 379 suspects connected to the Mohammed Mahmoud clashes has been adjourned to October 13. | Egypt Independent

Security forces have used tear gas on factory workers in Suez as they stormed government buildings. | Ahram Online

JULY 16

Thousands of textile workers in Mahalla, who are demanding dismissal of upper management, have continued their ongoing labor strike for the second day. | Ahram Online

For the first time which an Egyptian head of state has attended the African Union Summit in over a decade, President Morsi traveled to Addis Ababa. | Ahram Online

JULY 15

As U.S. Secretary of State Clinton traveled to Egypt to meet with President Morsi, SCAF head Tantawi, and others, she was met by a number of popular demonstrations challenging U.S. foreign policy, some of which accused the United States of favoritism toward the Muslim Brotherhood. | Ahram Online

JULY 13

The Constituent Assembly tasked with writing Egypt's new constitution finished drafting its first article on Wednesday, which now states: “The Arab Republic of Egypt is a democratic, consultative, constitutional and modern state based on the separation of powers and the principle of citizenship.” | al Masry al Youm

Egypt and Tunisia will be as "integrated as the European Union" following reinvigorated relations between the two Arab countries, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki said at his first meeting with newly-elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Friday. | al-Ahram

Representatives of political movements, parties and public figures including the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, Egypt Socialist Party, and Egypt Popular Movement announced Friday the foundation of a new bloc named the Popular Front to Support the Civil State. | al Masry al Youm

JULY 12

President Mohamed Morsi headed to Mecca to begin the Umrah pilgrimage late Wednesday evening after concluding "successful discussions" with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdel-Aziz and Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdel-Aziz. | al-Ahram

Members of Parliament Abul Ezz al-Hariry, Hamdy al-Fakhrany, and Atef Maghawry; lawyer Negad al-Boraie; and Free Egyptians Party leader Yehia al-Ghazaly Harb say they were verbally and physically assaulted by young people they allege belong to the Brotherhood. | al Masry al Youm

JULY 11

The Supreme Constitutional Court overruled President Mohamed Morsi’s decree to reinstate the People’s Assembly on Tuesday evening, adding that its June 14th verdict dissolving Parliament must be enforced, state-run newspaper Al-Ahram reported. | al Masry al Youm

Egypt’s presidential office on Tuesday evening declined to issue a statement in response to a High Constitutional Court (HCC) ruling that overturned an earlier executive decree issued by President Mohamed Morsi reinstating the People's Assembly, the lower house of Egypt's parliament. | al-Ahram

Muslim Brotherhood lawyer Abdel-Moneim Abdel-Maqsoud described Tuesday's ruling by Egypt's High Constitutional Court (HCC), which overturned a presidential decree reinstating the People's Assembly, as "worthless." | al-Ahram

JULY 10

Within just minutes of starting, Egypt's People's Assembly speaker Saad El-Katatni ended the first session of the reinstated legislative body. El-Katatni declared he will refer the HCC decision to the Appeal Court, saying parliament is aware of both its rights and responsibilities. | al-Ahram

Egypt's administrative court on Tuesday postponed dozens of lawsuits filed against President Mohamed Morsi's presidential decree on Sunday, which reinstated the dissolved People's Assembly until July 17. | al-Ahram

“The state will respect all aspects of the Constitutional Declaration,” stated the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces on Monday in reaction to President Mohamed Morsi’s decree ordering that the People’s Assembly be reinstated. | al Masry al Youm

JULY 9

President Mohamed Morsi replied to the decision of the Egyptian High Constitutional Court which stated that the parliament must remain dissolved, saying that his decision to bring back the parliament does not contradict constitutional government. | al-Ahram

Egypt's High Constitutional Court declares that it is not party to any political conflict in a statement issued by the court's general assembly Monday afternoon. "The scope of its sacred mission remains to protect the provisions of the constitution and to prevent any aggression against or violation of them," reads the statement. | al-Ahram

Former presidential candidates Khaled Ali, Hamdeen Sabbahi and Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh have all expressed their disapproval of the decree issued Sunday by recently-inaugurated President Mohamed Morsi reinstating the People's Assembly (the lower house of Egypt's parliament), dissolved last month by order of the military. | al-Ahram

JULY 5

Contrary to rumors, there is no “Committee for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” in Egypt, said Yasser Ali, acting spokesman for Egypt's newly-inaugurated President Mohamed Morsi. Ali said the law must be “strictly brought to bear against any culprits [of moral vigilantism].” | al-Ahram

The Coptic Orthodox Church threatened to withdraw its Constituent Assembly representatives Wednesday over concerns the new constitution will not represent minorities. At the heart of the discussion was ongoing debate within the assembly over whether Article 2 of the 1971 Constitution should be changed. | al Masry al Youm

The search for a prime minister is still ongoing ten days after Mohamed Morsi was officially declared president. The Salafi Nour Party has proposed a technocrat for the post, and requested that Morsi assign the ministries of communications, industry, and endowments to the party. | al Masry al Youm

JULY 3

Secretary General of the Jama’a al-Islamiya’s Construction and Development Party Alaa Abul Nasr said that they called on President Mohamed Morsi to intervene to release 34 political prisoners held in Aqrab and Minya prisons. | al Masry al Youm

President Mohamed Morsi has not made communicated with Washington over the release Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Noland said. | al Masry al Youm

Former MP Amr Hamzawy called on liberal and secular parties on Monday not to join the formation of the new government, or the presidential staff. During a seminar in Alexandria, Hamzawy said parliamentary elections would be soon, and parties should prepare to achieve a “balance” in the parliament. | al Masry al Youm

JULY 2

Members of the Constituent Assembly, in their four sessions, are set to hold an extended meeting to continue discussing the nature of the political system, specifically whether Egypt will follow a presidential, parliamentary, or mixed system. | Al-Ahram

Mostafa al-Ghoneimy, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Guidance Bureau, said that the group is suspending its sit-in in Tahrir Square. | al Masry al Youm

The Freedom and Justice Party’s economic platform would restrict the state’s role to that of a motivator and coordinator for economic activity, said Hassan Malek, head of the Muslim Brotherhood-led Egyptian Society for Business Development. | al Masry al Youm

JUNE 29

Thousands of Egyptians have arrived in Tahrir since the early morning hours to both take part in a million person protest against recent SCAF-issued orders to dissolve parliament as well as a constitutional addendum that gives the ruling military council new powers at the expense of an elected president. | al-Ahram

President-elect Mohamed Morsi will deliver a speech from Tahrir Square at 6 pm on Friday, state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported. Thousands of protesters are rallying in Tahrir Square to demand the military’s exit from political life. | al-Ahram

It is impossible to turn Egypt into a Muslim Brotherhood state, said President-elect Mohamed Morsi during his meeting with local newspapers’ editors-in-chief on Thursday. The country will preserve its national character without being controlled by a particular political faction, he added. | al Masry al Youm

JUNE 28

On Wednesday, caretaker Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri stated in front of the Shura Council that his Cabinet “faced challenges no other government in Egypt has before" in working through the difficult political transition period. | al-Ahram

President-elect Mohamed Morsi is to be sworn in before the general assembly of the Supreme Constitutional Court on Saturday morning, after which the armed forces plans to hold a ceremony to transfer power to the president, stated sources. | al Masry al Youm

Constituent Assembly member and former presidential candidate Amr Moussa said on Thursday that negotiations are ongoing with members who withdrew from the constitution-writing body and that he expects those members to return. | al Masry al Youm

JUNE 27

Egypt's constitution-drafting assembly convened Tuesday evening to choose the heads of its sub-committees and approve its code of conduct. The session took place on the same day as the Administrative Court postponed its decision on the assembly's constitutionality until September 4 – a decision that could lead to its dissolution for the second time. | Al-Ahram

President-elect Mohamed Morsi should address the fears of his Coptic “brothers” and their problems on the ground, Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa said in a statement on Wednesday. | al Masry al Youm

In an interview with Saudi satellite channel Al-Arabiya on Wednesday, Mahmoud Ezzat, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's Guidance Bureau, denied that the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) will only represent 30 percent of Morsi’s incoming cabinet. | al Ahram

JUNE 26

A forthcoming court ruling will likely invalidate the Constituent Assembly, said Lawyer's Syndicate President Sameh Ashour on Monday night. | al Masry al Youm

The Administrative Court on Tuesday decided to delay ruling on lawsuits appealing the dissolution of Parliament and the recently-issued supplementary Constitutional Declaration until July 7 and 10, respectively. | al Masry al Youm

A political advisor of President-elect Mohamed Morsi said that Morsi is likely to appoint a Copt and a woman as vice-presidents. | al Masry al Youm

JUNE 25

President-elect Mohamed Morsi said in an interview with Iran's Fars News Agency published on Monday that he wanted to expand ties with Tehran to create a strategic "balance" in the region. | al Masry al Youm

Hamdeen Sabahi has called on President-elect Mohamed Morsy to review the formation of the panel tasked with writing Egypt’s constitution. | al Masry al Youm

Presidential runner up Ahmed Shafiq said that the polling results should be respected. | al Masry al Youm

JUNE 22

Egypt's electoral body is set to announce Ahmed Shafiq as the country's new president on Sunday evening, several government sources claimed. | al-Ahram

Thousands of protesters are filling Tahrir Square on Friday morning in response to a call by Islamist groups and various revolutionary movements. | al-Ahram

The Muslim Brotherhood is to announce concessions it will make to more liberal activists for the sake of unity to overcome the “crisis,” at 2:30 on Friday, youth activist Ahmed Imam informed Ahram Online. | al-Ahram

JUNE 21

The Muslim Brotherhood called on Egyptians to participate in a massive Tahrir Square protest for Friday dubbed "The Legitimacy's Return," to denounce the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration and the dissolution of the People's Assembly. | al Masry al Youm

The final results of the presidential runoff will be announced on Sunday, said Presidential Elections Commission (PEC) Secretary General Hatem Bagato. | al Masry al Youm

Khairat al-Shater of the Muslim Brotherhood said the group will fight efforts to stifle democracy by peaceful methods. | al-Ahram

JUNE 20

Confusion surrounds the health of ousted former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Egyptian TV announced the 84-year-old was “clinically dead,” something the ruling military council categorically denied. | al Masry al Youm

Members of presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq’s campaign have said it plans to launch a new political party regardless of the election results scheduled to be announced Thursday, a high-ranking campaign official said. | al Masry al Youm
The National Association for Change has launched an initiative to form a political group that it says would believe in a civil state fortified against the political dominance of the military institution and people who use religion for personal gain. | al Masry al Youm

There has been a noticeable buildup of military vehicles near Cairo for the first time since the 18-day uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, according to eyewitnesses. | al Ahram

JUNE 19

The Muslim Brotherhood announced they have organized mass protests for Tuesday in their official objection to the addendums to the Constitutional Declaration issued by Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) late on Sunday night. The Muslim Brotherhood also rejects the Thursday High Constitutional Court (HCC) ruling to dissolve the parliament that was elected last fall – and where they are the majority party. | Al-Ahram

Revolutionary groups participated in Tuesday's planned nationwide protests against the military junta's recent moves to strip the incoming president of real power via an addendum to the country's temporary constitution. | Al-Ahram

Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyah consultancy council has said it rejects the addendum made by the ruling military council to the Constitutional Declaration, which has been governing the country since March 2011. | al Masry al Youm

JUNE 18

Both Egyptian presidential candidates claimed victory Monday, even though ballots were still being tallied and the extent of the victor’s power remained unclear after a new constitutional declaration issued by the military greatly empowered Egypt’s military generals.| Washington Post; al-Ahram

Changes made to Egypt's temporary constitution on Sunday have not stripped the country's incoming president of powers, Major Mamdouh Shahin of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) said at a press conference Monday. He noted that the president would be able to veto laws issued by the legislature, which is under the SCAF's control since parliament was dissolved by a court decision on Thursday and that the SCAF cannot pass laws except with the president's approval which would ensure a balance of power. | al-Ahram

The amendments to the Constitutional Declaration, released by the military council on Sunday night, represent a reversal of the council’s pledge to hand over power and the beginning of a dangerous phase, MP Amr Hamzawy said on Monday. In a Twitter message, Hamzawy urged the adoption of all possible peaceful methods to counter the military council’s move. | al Masry al Youm

JUNE 15

Egypt's speaker of the People's Assembly Saad El-Katatny said that the parliament has not yet received notification of the Thursday High Constitutional Court's decision to dissolve parliament. | Al-Ahram

The Supreme Council for the Armed Forces held an emergency meeting on Friday led by Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi and his deputy Sami Annan with regards to the writing of the constitution. Sources tell al Masry al Youm that the SCAF will issue an interim constitution in a matter of hours which will define how the constituent assembly will be drafted and the powers of the incoming president. | al Masry al Youm

In the final speech of his campaign Ahmed Shafiq said that he does not seek power or prestige but to rebuild Egypt. | Al-Ahram

JUNE 14

The Supreme Constitutional Court ruled today that one-third of its MPs elected to single-winner seats were chosen on an unconstitutional basis, Farouk Sultan, the head of the Presidential Elections Commission, told Al-Masry Al-Youm. This ruling effectively dissolves the entire People’s Assembly, although all previous decisions by that body will continue to stand.| al Masry al Youm

Leading Muslim Brotherhood figure Mahmoud Ezzat said Thursday that he believed the Egyptian people would vote for the Islamist group in both the upcoming presidential runoffs and new parliamentary elections, in a statement to Al-Ahram Arabic language news website. | Al Ahram

JUNE 13

If elected, presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq said he would not object to restoring relations with Iran. "If Iran doesn't seek to spread the Shia sect in Egypt, why shouldn't we be friends?," the former prime minister said in an interview with Saudi satellite channel Al-Arabiya Tuesday. | al Masry al Youm

The Supreme Constitutional Court will hold an open session tomorrow to consider challenges to the parliamentary elections law and the political exclusion law.| al Masry al Youm

Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie on Tuesday called on all Egyptians to vote in the presidential election runoff, specifically appealing to Coptic Christians to consider national interest when casting their ballots. | al Masry al Youm

JUNE 12

Party representatives and independent MPs walked out of a joint session of the Shura Council and People's Assembly (the upper and lower houses of parliament) on Tuesday to object to the perceived monopolization of the constitution-drafting process by Islamist parties. A total of 57 MPs reportedly withdrew from Tuesday's joint session to register their dissatisfaction. These included representatives of the 'Egyptian Bloc' parties, the 'Revolution Continues' bloc, the Hurriyah Party, the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, the Egyptian-Arabic Union Party, the Egyptian Citizen Party and the liberal Wafd Party, along with several independent candidates. | al-Ahram

Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei on Tuesday attacked the planned formation of the committee tasked with writing the country's new constitution, describing it as an attempt to undermine the January 25 revolution. | al Masry al Youm

Thirty public figures have urged Parliament members and former presidential candidates to stage a sit-in inside Parliament demanding the enforcement of the Political Isolation Law, which would prevent former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq from competing in the presidential runoff on June 16 and 17. | al Masry al Youm

JUNE 11

Liberal political parties say their Islamist counterparts have retreated from last week's agreement over the structure of Egypt's Constituent Assembly – tasked with drafting a new constitution – only one day before parliament plans to issue a new Constituent Assembly Law. | al-Ahram

Parties have agreed to allow the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party and the Salafi-oriented Nour Party to hold 50 percent of the constitution-writing committee’s seats, Wafd Party chief Al-Sayed al-Badawy has said. Other civil groups are represented by the remaining 50 percent of seats, Badawy said, adding that Al-Azhar, the Coptic Orthodox Church and the judiciary were classified as civil.| Al-Masry al-Youm

A leading figure in the Egyptian Social Democratic Party said parties supportive of a civil state were surprised when Islamists went back on an agreement regarding the Constituent Assembly they made last week, according to state-run Al-Ahram newspaper's website. | al-Masry al-Youm

JUNE 8

Political forces announced Thursday that they had come to an agreement on the makeup of the Constituent Assembly tasked with writing Egypt’s next constitution. The constituent assembly will be made up of 50% secular representatives, and 50% Islamists, with 2/3rds required to pass any article into law. | al Masry al Youm

Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb stated that the al-Azhar Document for Political Liberties in Islam should be the basis for the new constitution. | al Masry al Youm

Tens of thousands protested in Tahrir Square on Friday demanding that the political exclusion law be adopted and that former President Hosni Mubarak be re-tried. | al Masry al Youm

JUNE 7

Parliamentary political parties are due to meet with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on Thursday, at the end of a 48-hour grace period granted by the ruling military council for the political forces to determine the formation of the constituent assembly. New guidelines that the parties have tentatively agreed to include that 39 of the 100 seats go to political parties with the remainder going to extra-parliamentary groups. | al-Ahram

Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court is to sit just two days before a presidential election runoff to review a law that had threatened to bar one of the two candidates, a spokesman said on Wednesday. | AFP

Mohammed al-Baltagy of the Muslim Brotherhood said that presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq distorted a conversation that took place during the 25 January uprising to make it look as if Islamists were responsible for killing protesters. | al Masry al Youm

JUNE 6

Muslim Brotherhood leaders have started a new round of negotiations with former presidential candidates’ Hamdeen Sabahi and Abdel Moniem Aboul Futtouh’s campaigns in effort to persuade them to support Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi in the upcoming runoff vote. | al Masry al Youm

The Supreme Constitutional Court will begin considering controversial changes to the Political Rights Law on June 14, court spokesperson Maher Samy said. | al Masry al Youm

Hosni Mubarak has been given artificial respiration five times in the last few hours and he remains in a ‘critical’ condition following his incarceration in Tora prison on June 2, an official source told Ahram Online. | al-Ahram

JUNE 5

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces held a meeting on Tuesday with party chiefs and several independent members of Parliament to review recent political developments. | al-Masry al-Youm

Ahmed Shafiq accused the Brotherhood of involvement in the infamous Battle of the Camel and ridiculed attempts to exclude him from the presidential race. | al-Ahram

Preparations for Tuesday's million-man march have begun with large numbers descending on Cairo's Tahrir Square.| al-Ahram

JUNE 4

Mohamed Mursi met Hamdeen Sabbahi, Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh and Khaled Ali met on Monday to discuss Saturday's verdict in the trial of former president Hosni Mubarak and his associates, as well as the upcoming presidential election runoff. | al-Ahram

Head of the Higher Presidential Election Commission (HPEC), Counselor Farouq Sultan, affirmed that the presidential election has started and no one can stop it. | Egypt State Information Service

The head of the Advisory Council, Sameh Ashour, told reporters today that they had proposed the constituent assembly include the heads of political parties represented in parliament, as well as the heads of religious institutions, judicial authorities and civil society representatives. | Bloomberg

JUNE 1

Egyptian state television will broadcast the verdict and sentencing of former President Mubarak live on Saturday. | Ahram Online

Protesters have begun arriving in Tahrir to participate in a demonstration titled “Disenfranchisement Friday,” calling for candidate Shafiq to be banned from running. | Ahram Online

MAY 31

Egypt’s emergency law has been lifted for the first time in 30 years. | Ahram Online

The April 6 Movement is planning a “Friday of Signatures” for a petition that supports the implementation of the Political Isolation Law, which may be used to ban Shafiq from the presidential race. | Egypt Independent

Two American tourists kidnapped by Bedouin tribesmen in Sinai were released today. | ABC News

MAY 30

Leftist and liberal political forces have joined to create the United Front and are producing “The Document of the Pledge” which details 12 actions to protect the revolution and ensure a civil state. | Ahram Online

Parliament’s Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee has advanced a draft law which grants amnesty to political prisoners imprisoned between January 1976 and February 2011. | Egypt Independent

The sons of deposed President Mubarak will stand trial with co-CEO’s of EFG-Hermes and five others charged with profiteering. | Ahram Online

MAY 29

The People’s Assembly has approved a political amnesty law which pardons political prisoners undergoing trials between January 1976 and February 2011. | Ahram Online

Presidential candidate Morsi has promised to resign from the FJP upon his election, to form a coalition government, and to appoint a vice president and advisers that represent the entire political spectrum. | Ahram Online

The Presidential Elections Commission has announced the official results of the first round of presidential elections which confirm that a runoff will be held between Morsi and Shafiq. | Ahram Online

Protesters took to the streets in Cairo and Alexandria on Monday to demonstrate against the country’s election results; unknown individuals also ransacked and set fire to the campaign headquarters of Shafiq. | Ahram Online

MAY 25

Results in 25 governorates aggregated by Ahram Online shows that with about 41.8 per cent turn out, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Mursi is in the first place so far, followed by Ahmed Shafik, Mubarak's last prime minister, while the leftist candidate, Hamdeen Sabbahi, who proved to be the main surprise so far, fell back to the third place. | al-Ahram

Famed Egyptian activist Wael Ghoneim has blamed presidential candidates not associated with the Mubarak regime for failing to present a united front, resulting in the split of the public vote. | al-Ahram

The Muslim Brotherhood have reported that the campaigns of rival candidates Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh and Hamdeen Sabbahi have announced that they will back the Brotherhood's candidate Mohamed Mursi in the runoffs. | al-Ahram

MAY 24

Al-Azhar's grand sheikh said he rejects any boycott of the first post-25 January uprising presidential election after casting his ballot Wednesday. Ahmed al-Tayyeb said it is forbidden not to cast a ballot if you are an eligible voter with the ability to do so. | Al-Masry Al-Youm

Despite long lines and hot weather, people in Egypt’s second-largest city, ventured to polling stations to vote in the country's first free and fair presidential election. On Wednesday afternoon around the downtown district, many supporters of Abouel Fotouh and Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsy continued to campaign in violation of election regulations. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei hailed the end of "the culture of fear" as Egyptians voted for their first democratically elected president but said who wins is less important than establishing national unity. | AP

MAY 23

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Fayza Abouelnaga said on Tuesday that the Cabinet is meeting on Wednesday to monitor the presidential election. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Many Egyptian Christians felt marginalized under former President Hosni Mubarak and are voting to keep an Islamist from replacing him, out of fear their community would be further sidelined. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Millions of Egyptians head to polling stations across the country Wednesday to cast their ballots in Egypt's first genuine multi-candidate presidential election. | al-Ahram

MAY 22

Cairo has the most registered voters of any Egyptian governorate, with nearly 6.5 million voters, or 11.2 percent of the electorate, while Giza falls in second, according to government statistics. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri on Tuesday urged for calm during the country’s first presidential election since the uprising last year, calling on political groups to accept the result of the historic vote. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Eighty percent of Egypt’s eligible voters say they plan to participate in the presidential election slated for Wednesday and Thursday, according to a poll released Tuesday by a think tank affiliated with the Cabinet. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 18

A poll conducted last month by Gallup showed that while 63 per cent of Egyptians in February said they supported the Muslim Brotherhood, only 42 per cent claimed to support them in April. | al-Ahram

Muslim preacher Safwat Hegazy, who has been campaigning for the Muslim Brotherhood’s presidential candidate, Mohamed Morsi, said it is against religion to elect a presidential candidate who wants to establish a state based on liberalism, secularism, communism or socialism. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Mohamed ElBaradei criticized reports that the military council is planning to issue a supplementary constitutional declaration before the presidential election to stipulate the powers of the president without putting it to referendum or referring it to Parliament. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 17

Ahmed Shafiq resumed his criticism of the Muslim Brotherhood on Wednesday and defended himself from allegations that he represents the regime of ousted President Hosni Mubarak. “Everyone served under the former regime, even the Muslim Brotherhood,” Shafiq said in an interview noting “Eighty-eight of them were in the 2005 Parliament after coming to an agreement with the National Democratic Party.” | Al-Masry al-Youm

A member of the Freedom and Justice Party’s supreme body in Beheira resigned from the party in rejection of its nomination of Mohamed Morsi for president and announced his support for Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Mohamed Morsi vowed that if he is elected president, he will take up the case of the "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel Rahman, who is serving a life sentence in the US for his alleged part in terrorist attacks. | Al-Ahram

MAY 16

Presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafik has said that if elected president he would work to develop deep and strategic relations with all countries, with priority given to Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia. He emphasized Egypt could cut relations with Iran if it comes at the expense of Saudi relations. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Mohamed Morsi projected that he would get 60 percent of the votes, earning a conclusive win in the first round of the election. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 15

Presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq hinted Monday in a public rally in Alexandria that he might appoint a Christian woman as his deputy if he is elected president. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Egypt's Coptic Christians complained of discrimination under Hosni Mubarak but fear it may get worse if an Islamist takes his place in next week's presidential election. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Political groups have not yet reached an agreement on the formation of the Constituent Assembly, said Sobhi Saleh of the Freedom and Justice Party and deputy chairman of the People’s Assembly Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 14

Egypt will resume exporting natural gas to Jordan after a months-long hiatus caused by bombing attacks on the northern Sinai pipeline, Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr told his Jordanian counterpart on Monday. | Jerusalem Post

The Freedom and Justice Party has officially withdrawn its effort to withdraw confidence from the Cabinet. | Egypt Independent

More than 500 public figures have announced their backing of Hamdeen Sabbahi as president. | Ahram Online

The Free Egyptians Party has stated that it will not endorse a candidate due to a lack of consensus among its members. | Ahram Online

MAY 12

MAY 11

Ahmed Shafik finally released his presidential platform on May 10th. His platform pledges to solve the unemployment problem in Egypt through focusing on local development. He also notes that he will appoint four vice presidents, and that he will restore the state of law and order in Egypt and return Egypt to its former dignity. | Al-Ahram

According to the results of a poll by Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center, Abdel Moneim Abul-Fotouh is in the lead for president with 9 per cent of the vote, followed by Ahmed Shafiq with 8 percent. Amr Moussa received 7 percent of the votes, while Mohamed Morsi received 4 percent. | Al-Ahram

The media has distorted the image of the Muslim Brotherhood and its presidential candidate Mohamed Morsi , Khairat al-Shater, deputy leader of the Brotherhood, said on Thursday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Millions of Egyptians were glued to their sofas until early Friday morning, watching the first televised presidential debate between frontrunners Amr Moussa and Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh. | Al-Ahram

MAY 10

The Supreme Administrative Court’s first circuit, headed by Judge Magdy al-Agaty, is scheduled to consider on Saturday an appeal to the decision issued by a lower administrative court suspending the presidential election scheduled for May 23–24. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Salafi-led Nour Party is not hostile toward art, said a party spokesperson Wednesday evening, noting the party only objects to movies that spread negative values. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Head of the Benha Administrative Court Mohamed, Hatem Ammer stated on Thursday that their Wednesday court ruling "does not mean halting the presidential elections but rather makes the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) call to vote illegitimate, since it's SCAF's authority to make this call". | Al-Ahram

MAY 9

Abdel Moniem Aboul Futtouh has attacked the Muslim Brotherhood after Mohamed Ghozlan of the Brotherhood published a letter asking Salafis why they had endorsed Aboul Futtouh while he had views that they considered to be dangerous and heretical only a few years ago. | Al-Ahram

The High Administrative Court declared late Tuesday that the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) has no legal right to refer the Disenfranchisement Law, which puts a 10-year ban on those who were recently part of Mubarak's government from holding political office, to the Constitutional Court. | Al-Ahram

The Presidential Elections Commission closed the door Tuesday for presidential hopefuls to pull out of the race, as none of them submitted a request to withdraw. That makes the list of 13 candidates announced by the commission on 26 April final. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 8

Egypt's Supreme Presidential Elections Commission on Monday announced its intention to indefinitely suspend all its activities and postpone meetings scheduled for Tuesday with presidential candidates and media personnel. | Al-Ahram

Verbal attacks have increased between Amr Moussa and Abdel Moniem Aboul Futtouh in Egypt’s presidential campaign. Moussa called Abouel Fotouh "a sheikh," an apparent reference to his Brotherhood background. Aboul Fotouh, in turn, described Moussa as part of an old guard that is unfit to lead. Moussa also stated that Fotouh, Mohamed Morsi, and Salim al-‘Awa all represent the same Islamist platform and oppose a civil state. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Egyptian leftist presidential candidate Khaled Ali has announced his rejection of any amendment to Egypt's constitutional declaration by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) aimed at limiting the authority of Egypt's next president. | Al-Ahram

MAY 7

In the weekly poll conducted by Al-Ahram Political Studies Centre between 28 April to 1 May, Amr Moussa received 39 percent of votes, and Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh came second with 24 percent. Ahmed Shafiq still held third place with 17.2 percent, improving by 5 percent from last week. | Al-Ahram

Egyptian presidential candidates Hamdeen Sabbahi, Abul-Ezz El-Hariri, and Hisham Bastawisi plan to hold a meeting on Monday in hopes of reaching agreement on a single presidential contender to represent Egypt's leftist political forces. | al-Ahram

The Presidential Elections Commission on Monday invited all presidential candidates to a meeting on Tuesday. The purpose of the meeting is to brief candidates on all procedures and preparations and to listen to their proposals, commission head Hatem Bagato said in a statement. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 4

Speaker of the People's Assembly, Saad El-Katatni, held an emergency joint meeting with four ‎committees of the assembly (on human rights, youth, health and national ‎security) Thursday to discuss the situation in Egypt after clashes that erupted in Abbasiya ‎Wednesday left at least seven dead, according to the Ministry of Health. | Al-Ahram

Clashes have erupted in front of the Defense Ministry in Abbasiya between protesters and security forces as a number of marches converged on the area. Security forces fired tear gas, dispersing protesters. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Campaign rallies of Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi have seen sharper religious rhetoric with Salafi preachers campaigning with him, invocations of the reestablishment of the Islamic caliphate by some of his supporters, and more explicit chants demanding sharia law in Egypt. In his first rally last month, Morsi chanted the old Muslim Brotherhood slogan “the Qur’an is our constitution.” | Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 3

At a public rally held outside Leader Ibrahim Mosque in Alexandria on Monday, April 30, presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh said Egypt's youths are the “revolution’s fuel” and that history will testify to the sacrifices they made. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh has declined to take part in the first ever televised debate between Egyptian presidential candidates because of the violent clashes in Abbasseya that killed at least 11. The debate was scheduled for Thursday between Aboul Fotouh and his rival Amr Moussa. The debate has been postponed until May 10. | Al-Masry al-Youm

A new poll shows that Amr Moussa and Abdel Moniem Aboul Futouh are tied for first place in Egypt’s presidential elections with 11 percent of the vote. Behind them is Ahmed Shafiq with 6 percent of the vote. The vast majority polled, 42 percent, said they were undecided. | Al-Ahram

The al-Nour Party is increasingly differing with the Freedom and Justice Party although Nader Bakar, leader of al-Nour, states that both have the same long-term Islamic goals. Al-Nour opposed the Freedom and Justice Party’s demand of dismissing the Ganzouri government saying that it would make no sense to dismiss the government at this critical time before elections even if it has made mistakes, and has also endorsed Abdel Moneim Aboul Futouh instead of the Brotherhood’s Morsi for President. | Al-Ahram

MAY 2

Clashes between Egyptian protesters and unknown assailants left at least nine people dead, as the worst street violence in Cairo this year added to the unrest in the country three weeks before slated presidential elections. Mohamed Morsi put the blame primarily on the ruling military. | Bloomberg

The flashpoint Abbasiya district is currently enjoying a degree of calm after the army announced that it had managed to stop the violent clashes that began early Wednesday near the defence ministry building in central Cairo. | Al-Ahram

The Freedom and Justice Party and the Nour Party are among a number of political parties to announce they will boycott today's meeting with Field Marshall Mohamed Tantawi, due to the violent clashes near Cairo's defence ministry that have left 11 dead since this morning. | Al-Ahram

MAY 1

One third of the members of the People’s Assembly have expressed their opposition to People’s Assembly Speaker Mohamed Saad al-Katatny’s decision to suspend parliamentary sessions until Sunday, with some MPs alleging that Katatny’s proposal did not receive the required number of votes. | Al-Ahram

Mohamed Mursi will meet Senator John Kerry and Ann Patterson, U.S. Ambassador to Cairo, at the FJP headquarters on Wednesday. | Al-Ahram

The Revolution Youth Coalition announced its endorsement of Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh for president Monday at a student conference organized by Abul-Fotouh in Alexandria. | Al-Ahram

APRIL 26

The Supreme Presidential Electoral Commision (SPEC) announced on Tuesday that it would hold an emergency meeting later today to discuss ways of implementing the newly ratified Disenfranchisement Law. | Al-Ahram

The Nour Party said on Thursday it will make its final decision on which candidate it will back in the presidential election within two days. Emad Abdel Ghafour, leader of the party, said an important meeting will be held on Friday, gathering the party’s MPs and provincial representatives to discuss choosing between the three Islamist nominees available: Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, Mohamed Morsi, and Mohamed Selim al-Awa. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Political parties have agreed in principle to grant the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party and the Salafi Nour Party 22 seats out of 100 on the Constituent Assembly that will draft Egypt's new constitution. | Al-Masry al-Youm

APRIL 26

Egypt's Supreme Presidential Elections Committee (SPEC) early Thursday afternoon formally announced its final list of approved candidates for next month's presidential elections. The list, which includes a total of thirteen contenders, includes Ahmed Shafiq, who has been re-instated until further notice. Campaigning will formally begin on April 30. | Al-Ahram; Al-Ahram

A meeting scheduled for Thursday between the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and representatives of political parties on the membership of Egypt's constitution-drafting assembly has been postponed until Saturday. Parliament is working on its own criteria for forming the revamped constituent assembly. Parliamentary speaker Mohamed Saad El-Katatni asked Mahmoud El-Khodeiry, head of the legislative and constitutional affairs committee, to meet representatives of political parties to forge a consensus on how to reform the assembly. | Al-Ahram

APRIL 25

Ahmed Shafiq, the Mubarak era prime minister who was barred from standing for president under the newly ratified Disenfranchisement Law, has said he will appeal the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission's (SPEC) decision. | Al-Ahram

Egypt's parliament overwhelmingly rejected the army-appointed cabinet's plan to cut state spending on Tuesday, complicating the government's efforts to secure IMF help to fight a balance of payments crisis. | Al-Ahram

The Insurance and Social Affairs Ministry rejected the applications of eight American non-profit groups on the grounds that their activities violated Egyptian sovereignty. | New York Times

APRIL 24

Egypt's ruling military has approved a law that bans top Hosni Mubarak-era officials from running for the presidency. The ruling means Ahmed Shafiq, appointed as prime minister by Mubarak in his last days in power, is out of the race. | Al Jazeera

A recently conducted poll shows that while former Muslim Brotherhood leader Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa head the presidential field ahead of elections scheduled for May, 54 percent of Egyptians have still not settled on a candidate. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate Mohamed Morsi will not use the group's long-standing slogan, "Islam is the solution," for the upcoming election. Morsi will instead campaign under the slogan "Renaissance is the will of the nation," after the Presidential Elections Commission banned the use of the motto. | Al-Masry al-Youm

APRIL 23

Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh said Sunday he would not agree to represent the Brotherhood in the election slated for May. | al-Masry al-Youm

Egypt has unilaterally terminated its natural gas export contract with Israel, a shareholder in the export operating company, East Mediterranean Gas Company (EMG), said Sunday night. | Al-Ahram

Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) rejected on Saturday the military council request to determine the constitutionality of the drafted Disenfranchisement Law before proposed legislation becomes law. | Al-Ahram

The recommendations and complaints committee in parliament has agreed after a meeting on Monday to amend several articles in the proposed Corrupting Political Life Law known as the Disenfranchisement Law. | Al-Ahram

APRIL 20

Disqualified presidential hopeful Hazem Salah Abu Ismail called on his supporters Friday to continue their sit-in at the headquarters of the Presidential Elections Commission in Heliopolis until it reverses its decision and allows him to run in the election. | al-Masry al-Youm

Saad El-Katatni, speaker of parliament, denied rumors on Thursday that proposals for a draft law setting standards for the constituent assembly composition have been submitted to Egypt's People's Assembly. | Al-Ahram

Head of the Religious Affairs Committee in the People’s Assembly Sayed Askar said there is no problem with Copts building new churches in relation to their numbers. | Al-Masry al-Youm

APRIL 19

The ruling military council has referred legislative amendments to the political rights law to the Supreme Constitutional Court to determine whether the changes are constitutional. | al-Masry al-Youm

The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and other political forces have denounced Egypt's Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa's visit to Jerusalem on Wednesday, for the opening of the Imam Ghazali Chair of Islamic Studies, even though it was organised under Jordanian jurisdiction. | Al-Ahram

Egyptian parliamentary parties are set to meet with Field Marshall Tantawi Sunday, in order to reach an agreement on the method of forming the constituent assembly. FJP MP Sobhi Salah said that the party would accept the decision to have all the members of the assembly chosen from outside parliament. Nevertheless, sources from inside the Brotherhood said that the Islamist group will suggest that the leaders of the parliamentary committees should be represented in the assembly. | Al-Ahram

APRIL 18

Former Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mahdi Akef said Tuesday he is praying that the Brotherhood’s presidential bid will fail. “The presidency is more of a heavy burden than a reward,” he said in an interview with al-Mehwar TV. | al-Masry al-Youm

The Muslim Brotherhood has announced that Mohamed Morsy, chairman of its Freedom and Justice Party, will replace former deputy Supreme Guide Khairat al-Shater as its candidate for the presidential election slated for May. The FJP and its parent organization said in a joint statement Tuesday that they were surprised by the Presidential Elections Commission’s decision to exclude Shater from the race. | Al-Masry al-Youm

A People’s Assembly committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would grant comprehensive amnesty to people suspected or convicted of political charges under toppled President Hosni Mubarak. | Al-Masry al-Youm

APRIL 17

Postponing the presidential election until the body writing the new constitution finishes its work is unacceptable under any circumstance, presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sabbahi said on Thursday. In a press statement, Sabbahi emphasized, “There is a binding date that has been announced for the handover of power to an elected president.” | al-Masry al-Youm

General Mamdouh Shahin, a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, on Tuesday rejected suggestions that military judiciary cases be transferred to civilian courts, describing the demand as an infringement on the jurisdiction of military courts. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Investors affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood plan to launch a chain store called “Zad” in two months, which they expect to acquire a great share of the retail market in Egypt. Khairat al-Shater is a major investor in the project. | Al-Masry al-Youm

APRIL 16

Mohamed ElBaradei has blasted recent calls by Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt's ruling military council, to draft a new Egyptian constitution before presidential elections are held next month. ElBaradei has warned against electing a president under the terms of the constitutional declaration issued by the ruling military council in the wake of last year's revolution. | al-Ahram

Three of Egypt’s main contenders for the presidency have filed appeals to stay in the race after the country’s election commission disqualified them from the vote, along with seven others. The election commission is expected to decide Tuesday which appeals will be reviewed. A final list of candidates will be released 26 April, about a month before the vote. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Mohammed al-Beltagy, a Muslim Brotherhood leader, said the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces was wrong to hold a meeting with party leaders Sunday because organizing the drafting of the constitution is Parliament's job. | Al-Masry al-Youm

APRIL 13

Tens of thousands of mainly Islamist protesters have filled Cairo's Tahrir Square for Friday prayers in a mass demonstration called by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafist Front under the slogan, "the only demand - together against the remnants of the former regime". | al-Ahram

The Salafi Nour Party is considering an appeal against an Administrative Court verdict to disband the assembly tasked with drafting Egypt’s constitution. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Islamists are divided over whether to participate in a demonstration called for by the Muslim Brotherhood to protest Mubarak regime members’ candidacies in the upcoming presidential election. | Al-Masry al-Youm

APRIL 12

Parliament Speaker Saad al-Katatny on Wednesday adjourned the session discussing a bill that would prevent former regime figures from running for the presidency, referring it to a joint session of the Constitutional Affairs and the Proposals and Complaints committees for consideration as soon as possible. | al-Masry al-Youm

A ruling from Egypt's administrative court does not conclusively confirm the nationality of presidential candidate Abu-Ismail's mother, but puts the onus for resolving the controversial issue on the country's interior ministry. | Al-Ahram

Islamist presidential candidate Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh, announced in a meeting at the American Chamber of Commerce Tuesday that he supports Al-Wasat Party's draft law aiming to ban remnants of the former regime from holding state positions for five years. "We all must unite to continue the revolution." he said. | Al-Ahram

APRIL 11

Freedom and Justice Party lawyer Ahmed Abu-Baraka has announced the party's intention to appeal a Tuesday verdict issued by the Supreme Administrative Court that found Egypt's recently-established Constituent Assembly – tasked with drafting a new national charter – unconstitutional. Speaking to Al-Ahram's Arabic-language news service, Abu-Baraka asserted that the Tuesday verdict represented "a clear case" of the misapplication of law, as it violates the separation of Egypt's judicial and executive powers. He went on to accuse judicial authorities of "interfering in parliamentary decisions." | al-Ahram

The People's Assembly (the lower house of Egypt's parliament) devoted a special session on Wednesday afternoon to discussing proposed legislation aimed at prohibiting figures associated with ousted president Hosni Mubarak from contesting upcoming presidential elections. The assembly reportedly decided to convene after several MPs expressed fears that the bill, drafted by the moderate-Islamist Wasat Party, might be ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Constitutional Court. | Al-Ahram

The Advisory Council for Egypt's ruling generals Tuesday renewed its call for a new interim constitution that would include bylaws on the formation of the Constituent Assembly. The council welcomed a Cairo Administrative Court decision to halt the formation of the assembly, selected by the Islamist-dominated Parliament. | Al-Masry al-Youm

APRIL 10

Field Marshal Tantawi has stated that the SCAF is not fielding a candidate in next month’s presidential elections. | Daily Star

The Cairo Administrative Court has halted “the implementation of the decision by the Parliament’s speaker to form the Constitutional Assembly to draft the constitution.” | Bikya Masr

According to a recent poll conducted by Al-Ahram Center, Amr Moussa would win 30.7% of the votes in a presidential election and Hazem Abou Ismail would come in second with 28.8%; the data for this poll was collected before Suleiman formally announced his candidacy. | Haaretz

APRIL 9

El-Baradei and other revolutionary figures have decided to co-found a new political party; the Revolution Party aims to form ‘the nucleus of a coalition that will include all secular forces’ in the country. | Ahram Online

The People’s Assembly Proposals and Complains Committee has approved a bill amending the presidential election laws by adding a clause that bans former regime figures from running for president. | Egypt Independent

An administrative court has blocked Ayman Nour from running in the presidential elections due to the five years he spent in jail on fraud charges. | Daily News Egypt

The Electoral Commission has received confirmation from the Foreign Ministry that Abou Ismail’s mother had an American citizenship; he is likely to be disqualified from the race. | Bikya Masr

APRIL 6

Omar Suleiman has reversed his earlier statements and has now announced his intent to run for president. | Egypt Independent

Nasserist Hamdeen Sabbahi has officially filed his papers to run for president. | Ahram Online

The SCAF has officially stated that it will hand over power on June 30 whether the constitution has been set or not. | Bikya Masr

APRIL 4

Muslim Brotherhood presidential nominee Khairat al-Shater said Tuesday that the application of sharia law is his ultimate goal. | al-Masry al-Youm

Sufi leaders will convene Saturday to set standards for the selection a presidential candidate they will endorse, Sheikh Mohamed Alaa Eddin Abul Azayem, chairman of the Supreme Council of Sufi Orders, told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Tuesday. The Sufi orders will rule out any candidate who is secular, extremist, or affiliated with the Mubarak regime. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The liberal Wafd Party’s supreme authority decided Tuesday to endorse Amr Moussa for president, following a six-hour discussion. | Al-Masry al-Youm

APRIL 3

Mohamed al-Beltagy, head of the Cairo bureau of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, used his Facebook page to air his disquiet at Saturday's decision to field Khairat al-Shater as presidential candidate. "It is unfair for the nation and for the Brotherhood that it bears alone the responsibility for the nation completely in these critical times," Beltagy wrote, adding that he had voted against the decision, but would respect the majority. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Senior leaders of the Salafi Nour Party met with presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail Tuesday to convince him to drop his bid for president in favor of another Islamist candidate. Abu Ismail left the meeting angrily, according to sources informed of the meeting. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The former Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mahdi Akef said that he strongly opposed the decision of the group to nominate Khairat al-Shater for the presidency, but since it was reached by the Shura Council, group members should be loyal to the decision. Akef said that the Brotherhood remains strongly committed to the vision of its founder Hasan al-Banna. | Al-Shorouk

APRIL 2

Amr Moussa said Monday that if the Brotherhood seizes the presidency in addition to Parliament, in which it already holds a plurality, it will be as if there had never been a revolution. If Khairat al-Shater is elected president, Moussa said, the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Badie will be the country’s real leader. | al-Masry al-Youm

The Constitution for Every Egyptian Front, a coalition of 31 political parties and forces, issued a statement Sunday calling for a huge protest in front of State Council on Tuesday, April 23. The demonstration is in solidarity with a lawsuit filed against parliament calling for the nullification of the current Constituent Assembly, which the group said has lost its legitimacy. | Al-Ahram

The Al-Azhar Document will be the primary basis of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party’s constitutional proposals. The party will support a semi-presidential system wherein the president does not have the right to dissolve parliament and equal rights for all citizens. | Al-Ahram

MARCH 30

FJP MP Mohamed al-Beltagy called for some Islamist assembly members to withdraw and be replaced by individuals from other political currents in order that the Islamist-dominated assembly be more representative of Egypt’s political factions. The FJP was initially defensive about the assembly. That tone seemingly changed later the same day — after Al-Azhar announced its withdrawal. FJP has withdrawn ten of its members in favor of ten non-Islamist reserve members. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Adel Afify, leader of the Salafi-led Asala Party, holds the FJP responsible for the controversy over the constituent assembly. He said “The FJP excluded the liberal parties and other Islamist parties from the assembly and it has implicated the Salafi-led Nour Party in the process.” | Al-Masry al-Youm

The constituent assembly cannot be dissolved and re-formed by any authority, People’s Assembly Speaker Saad al-Katatny said Wednesday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MARCH 29

The first meeting of the constituent assembly saw significant divisions. Representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) sharply criticized members who opted to boycott the assembly, emphasizing that the assembly "should not submit to the pressure of the dictatorship of the minority." Other liberal-oriented members such as Al-Ahram writer and poet Farouk Giwida called for negotiations with the boycotting members to reach consensus. | al-Ahram

The dominance of Parliament over the constitutional drafting process represents a real threat to the balance of power between governmental branches as well as to the stability of the state, said presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafiq in a statement released Wednesday. Shafiq predicted that if Parliament monopolizes the constitution writing process it will broaden its powers at the expense of the executive and judicial authorities. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Egypt’s military leaders have offered to allow the Muslim Brotherhood to form a new cabinet if the group refrains from nominating a presidential candidate, Brotherhood sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MARCH 28

The heads of parties and political powers represented in the People's Assembly agreed in a meeting with Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Egypt’s military leader, to meet again within two days to discuss their ideas of how to resolve the constitution standoff. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Sameh Ashour, a Nasserist who heads the Lawyers Syndicate and was named to the constituent assembly, called on SCAF to intervene to “protect the nation” and announce a new constitutional declaration changing Article 60 of the current document, which places no stipulations on how Parliament composes the constituent assembly. Amr Hamzawy disagreed and rejected any role for SCAF in the process. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Mohamed El-Beltagy, secretary-general of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), said they are ready to hold talks with those who have withdrawn from the constituent assembly about replacing some of the FJP members, in a Facebook statement Tuesday night. El-Beltagy’s comments suggested that the Brotherhood would be open to redressing the balance within the assembly, which is largely dominated by the FJP. | Al-Ahram

MARCH 27

The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly tasked with drafting Egypt's post-January 25 Revolution constitution will be held Wednesday to prepare the main guidelines of its business in the coming weeks. The meeting, which will be headed by speaker of the People's Assembly Saad El-Katatni, will elect a chairman and two deputies and divide the assembly into committees, to each one of which will be entrusted with drafting a certain chapter of the constitution, and clarify the procedures necessary to reach consensus on a final draft. | Al-Ahram

The U.S. State Department on Monday downplayed concerns about Islamists tightening their grip on the formation of a 100-member panel tasked with drafting Egypt’s new constitution. “We’re not going to prejudge, obviously, the work of this panel,” State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said at a press briefing. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Wafd Party’s executive bureau recommended in a meeting late Monday that the party should withdraw from the constituent assembly. The recommendation, made at the end of the meeting chaired by party leader Al-Sayed al-Badawi, will be submitted late Tuesday to the party’s parliamentary bloc and supreme board. Both will make a final decision on the issue, the party newspaper’s website said. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MARCH 26

As Arab leaders converge on Baghdad for a landmark summit meeting this week, they will be treated to carefully chosen glimpses of a new Iraq: gleaming hotel lobbies, renovated palaces and young palm trees lining an airport highway once called the Road of Death. | New York Times

Independent MP Amr Hamzawy announced his withdrawal from the constitution-writing assembly Monday, saying it lacks fair political representation. His withdrawal follows the withdrawal of other liberal and leftists on the assembly who state that the body has been monopolized by Islamists. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Preliminary analysis of the make-up of the Constituent Assembly shows that Islamists occupy almost 65 per cent of its seats. The dominant position of Islamists in the Constituent Assembly led many secular forces to cry foul, with some liberal parties urging their leadership to boycott the Constituent Assembly. Of these are the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, the Free Egyptians Party, and the Wafd Party. Mostafa El-Naggar, an MP and chairman of Al-Adl (Justice) Party also asked liberals to boycott “the assembly of the Islamists.” | Al-Ahram

MARCH 23

Hundreds of protestors descended on Cairo's High Court on Friday to demand the release of all political prisoners held since the January 25 Revolution. | Al-Ahram

Activists have called for a demonstration outside the High Court on Friday to press for the release of all political prisoners in Egypt. The call was posted on Facebook by the 'Second Revolution of Rage' group. | Al-Ahram

MARCH 22

Several revolutionary forces have called for demonstrations on Friday and Saturday against the formation of a constituent assembly they fear will be primarily composed of Islamists. | Al-Masry Al-Youm; Al-Ahram

The liberal Free Egyptians Party on Thursday slammed a proposed law that regulates the right to demonstrate peacefully, emphasizing that it would significantly restrict civil liberties. | Al-Ahram

Two Israeli C130 military transport planes arrived in Cairo on Wednesday afternoon to ship the contents of Israel's Cairo embassy back to Israel. Each plane has carried one 20-foot-long container. | Al-Ahram

MARCH 21

The Muslim Brotherhood Guidance Office will meet Friday to discuss potential presidential candidates, a senior member has told Ahram Online. | Al-Ahram

Seventeen members of the National Association for Change and constitutional experts on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the head of Egypt’s military council and legislative leaders to stop a plan for forming the constituent assembly that will draft a new constitution. | Al-Masry al-Youm

With the historic presidential candidate registration period opening today, the Justice and Freedom Youth and the Egyptian Current Party officially announced Friday that they will back ex-Muslim Brotherhood member Abdel Monem Aboul Fotouh. | Al-Ahram

MARCH 20

Amr Moussa would create a decentralized Egyptian state and depend on “true democracy” if elected president, campaigners for the candidate wrote on Facebook Monday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Tens of thousands of mourners are gathering Tuesday in front of St. Mark's Cathedral in Abbassiya, Cairo, for the funeral of the Coptic Orthodox Church's leader, Pope Shenouda III who died Saturday at the age of 88. | Al-Ahram

Egypt's government has been reluctant to share details of a reform plan it has drawn up with the International Monetary Fund, making it hard for parliament to support any accord, the Muslim Brotherhood's party and the IMF said on Monday. | Al-Ahram

MARCH 19

Parliamentary sources said that the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and the Salafi Nour Party agreed that 15 FJP members of the People’s Assembly, five of the party’s Shura Council members, as well as seven Nour Party members of the People’s Assembly and another three from the Shura Council would be included in the Constituent Assembly that will draft the new constitution. The Wafd Party would be represented by four People’s Assembly members and one Shura Council member, while 15 members would come from other parties and independent MPs. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria announced on Sunday that the body of Pope Shenouda III would be buried within the precincts of Egypt’s St Bishoy Monastery, in line with the late pope’s last will and testament. The monastery is situated along the Cairo-Alexandria road in northern Egypt’s Wadi Al-Natroun region. | Al-Ahram

Egypt will resume talks on Monday with an International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation on loan agreements worth 4.7 billion, said Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Fayza Abul-Naga. | Egypt State Information Service

MARCH 16

Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader of the US House of Representatives, has met the speaker of Egyptian People's Assembly, Saad El-Katatni, along some of members of the Egyptian parliament during a visit to Cairo Thursday. | Al-Ahram

The April 6 Youth Movement's splinter group the Democratic Front said Thursday, in a press release, that it would consider endorsing the Political Pardon Law should it exclude those who are serving life sentences or facing the death penalty. | Al-Ahram

Mohamed ElBaradei on Friday refused the finance minister's recent suggestion that the government may consider financial reconciliation with former members of the Hosni Mubarak regime accused in corruption cases. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MARCH 15

Leftist presidential hopeful Khaled Ali said on Wednesday that he would dismiss Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the military council, and bring the whole council to account for the crimes it has committed. “There is no democracy under military rule,” he said. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Freedom and Justice Party will have the right to appoint a new prime minister if Parliament withdraws confidence from the current cabinet, said the party chairman on Wednesday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Amnesty International called for a halt to cargo ship carrying weapons with explosives en route from the United States to Egypt, according to a press statement by the human rights organization on Thursday. The statement warned of the "substantial risk" that Egyptian security forces might use those weapons to commit human rights violations against civilians. | Al-Ahram

MARCH 14

The Salafi-led Nour Party’s supreme authority decided in a meeting on Tuesday to allow party members in Parliament to only gather signatures that endorse three Islamist presidential hopefuls until the party agrees on a candidate. The party said it will wait to decide on its choice until the potential candidates establish clear platforms and until discussions among political groups over a potential consensus candidate end. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said on Tuesday it recognized its demand to sack Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri's cabinet is unlikely to be heeded by the ruling generals but that it did not want a standoff with the army, toning down tough talk by some of its MPs. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr called on all parties to stop targeting civilians in Syria on Tuesday, calling on the Syrian government to start implementing the Arab initiative, which he said is the only possible way out of the crisis. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MARCH 13

It is up to the Egyptian people to decide whether they want to continue receiving financial assistance from the United States, the U.S. State Department spokesperson said Monday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

In an evening session Monday, the People’s Assembly demanded the deportation of the Israeli ambassador, Yaakov Amitai, and the withdrawal of the Egyptian ambassador from Tel Aviv. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Araby on Monday expressed his regret for the comments of Mahmoud Ghazlan, spokesperson for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, against the United Arab Emirates, which he called "hostile." | Al-Masry al-Youm

MARCH 12

The Salafi Nour Party and the Muslim Brotherhood will likely coordinate in choosing a candidate to support in the presidential race, Younis Makhyoun, a senior member of the Nour Party, told state-run Al-Akhbar newspaper Monday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The majority of deputies in the People's Assembly—Egypt's Islamist-dominated lower house of parliament—have given the thumbs up to putting the government of interim Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri to a vote of confidence. | Al-Ahram

Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan has said members who support the presidential bid of Abdel Moneim Aboul-Fotouh, a former senior leader in the group, will be expelled. | Al-Ahram

MARCH 9

The Islamist Freedom and Justice, Nour, and Asala parties in Parliament want to cancel the 50 percent quota for worker and farmer parliamentary seats in the new constitution, members of the parties said Friday. The Nour Party stated that if it was not possible to eliminate the 50 percent quota, it would at least call for its reduction to 25 percent. | Al-Ahram

Head of the Ghad Party Ayman Nour said on Thursday that Ahmed al-Tayyeb, grand sheikh of Al-Azhar, should lead the constituent assembly that will draft the constitution. Nour said that the document proposed by Tayyeb in January, known as the “Basic Freedoms Document” should be endorsed by political powers and should be included in the new constitution. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Hundreds of Egyptian women marched on International Women’s Day demanding that women make up 50 percent of the constituent assembly which will write the constitution. Parliamentary speaker Saad al-Katatni is due to meet with the coalition who wrote this document and discuss it with them. | Al-Ahram

MARCH 8

According to several news reports, the Muslim Brotherhood is currently holding negotiations with a number of public figures in an attempt to persuade them to run for president. Mahmoud Ghozlan, the official spokesman of the Brotherhood, revealed to the daily Al-Ahram newspaper on Wednesday that these public figures "are not members of the Muslim Brotherhood nor any other Islamist party but they are not against the Islamist project the Brotherhood is calling for." | Al-Ahram

Islamist presidential hopeful Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh said in an interview Wednesday that he refuses to acknowledge Israel, despite Egypt's peace treaty with its neighbor. “I do not and will not recognize Israel. But I will not impose that opinion on the Egyptian people,” he told the "90 Minutes" program on Mehwar private satellite channel. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Wafd Party’s supreme board supports Mansour Hassan, head of the Advisory Council to the ruling military junta, in his newly announced bid for president, the party’s deputy head said Wednesday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MARCH 8

MARCH 7

A joint parliamentary committee will meet Saturday to discuss proposals submitted by MPs, institutions, and citizens regarding criteria for the formation of the constituent assembly that will write Egypt’s new constitution, MENA reported. | Al Masry al-Youm

Prime Minister Kamel El-Ganzouri defended his government against accusations that it lifted a travel ban on foreign NGO workers facing trial in a press conference on Tuesday. He asserted that the decision was the responsibility of the judiciary. | Al-Ahram

Socialist Popular Alliance Party MP Abul Ezz al-Hariry announced on Tuesday he plans to run for president in the upcoming election. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MARCH 6

An Egyptian pipeline carrying gas to Israel and Jordan was bombed on Monday, the 13th such attack since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011, witnesses said. | Reuters

People's Assembly Speaker Saad el-Katatni urged the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) to force the Syrian regime to stop killing its own citizens. | Egypt State Information Service

Just back on U.S. soil following months on Egypt’s no-fly list, Sam LaHood says “former elements of the Mubarak government that are pushing their own agenda” in Egypt right now are creating difficulties for the democratic transition currently underway. | CNN

MARCH 5

Salafist MP Mamdouh Ismail of Asala Party stated in parliament's first joint session of the upper and lower house held on Saturday that Egypt's constitution should reflect the "Islamist identity" of the nation. | Al-Ahram

Leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood Ali Bateekh stated on Monday that the Brotherhood will not be nominating a candidate for the presidential race and nor will it be backing a candidate belonging to an Islamist party or movement. According to Bateekh, the next president of the country should not represent one trend in society but rather Egypt as a whole. Furthermore, the president should neither be too involved in defending the Islamist trend over the liberal trend or vice versa. | Al-Ahram

International Cooperation Minister Fayza Aboul-Naga, in charge of supervising the case against nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Egypt, has claimed she did not know the travel ban on indicted foreigners had been lifted until after it happened. | al-Ahram

MARCH 2

Judges in the Cairo Appeals Court are in the process organizing a general assembly to address the direct interference of one of its judges in the NGO trial. Mysteriously, the travel ban was lifted against foreign NGO workers accused of operating illegally in Egypt in a highly-publicized case. As soon as they could, the foreign nationals left the country. | Al-Ahram; Al-Masry al-Youm

Presidential hopeful Hazem Abu Ismail slammed Egypt’s decision to release the foreign suspects implicated in the NGO case. In the high-profile case, foreigners accused of working in Egypt under unlicensed NGO's and receiving illegal foreign funds for illicit purposes were banned from leaving the country, which was suddenly reversed yesterday and the foreign nationals promptly left the country. | Al-Ahram

Free Egyptians Party MP Mohamed Abu Hamed resigned from his party Thursday night in order to devote more time to an unidentified project that would “serve the nation,” he said on his Twitter account Friday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MARCH 1

Former International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei criticized on Thursday what he called “intervention in judiciary work” in the trial of NGO employees. | Al-Masry al-Youm

While Christian churches in Egypt endorsed an Anglican initiative to meet with Muslim Brotherhood leaders Tuesday, various Coptic groups continued to reject dialogue with the Islamist organization. | Al-Masry al-Youm

An official at Cairo airport has revealed that a U.S. military plane which arrived to take U.S. NGO workers out of the country was "secured" by a "supreme Egyptian authority." | al-Ahram

FEBRUARY 29

The Free Egyptians Party named their chairman, Ahmed Said, as the new head of its parliamentary bloc on Wednesday, following the resignation of Mohamed Abu Hamed. Abu Hamed, who was also vice president of the liberal party, continues to be a member of the board, according to a press statement issued on Wednesday. | Al-Ahram

Presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sabbahi said the ruling military council prolonged the interim period and did not rule the country with the revolution's spirit but with the spirit of Mubarak’s old regime. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The head of Egypt's military judiciary, Adel al-Morsy, said Wednesday that ousted President Mubarak cannot be referred to a military court as he does not enjoy a military designation at present. | Al-Masry al-Youm

FEBRUARY 28

Ahmad Fahmy of the Freedom and Justice Party has been elected speaker of the Shura Council. | Egypt Independent

An Egyptian court has thrown out a case against business tycoon Naguib Sawiris by a group of lawyers who had accused him of showing contempt for religion. | Egypt Independent

A man has been killed on the Egyptian-Israeli border in the Sinai peninsula for attempting to illegally enter Israel. | Bikya Masr

FEBRUARY 27

The Shura Council (Upper House of Parliament) will reclaim its role in Egypt’s political scene after being marginalized by the former regime of Hosni Mubarak, says Ahmed Fahmy who is vying for the position of the council’s speaker. | Al-Ahram

The European Union announced in December that it is beginning talks about extending its free trade agreements with Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia. But, these talks have prompted criticism from civil society groups in Egypt and throughout the region. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafiq launched a verbal attack on former presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei, taunting him to nominate himself for presidency so "everyone would see the election results." | al-Masry al-Youm

FEBRUARY 24

Debate is flaring up between the Islamist majority and the secular minority over the make-up of the body in charge of drafting Egypt's first post-revolution constitution. Secular parties such as the Egyptian Social Democratic Party and al-Wafd are set to push for lowering the lawmakers' quota on the constitution writing committee as much as possible. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Advisory Council to the ruling military junta will meet Saturday to discuss amending Article 28 in the interim constitution which grants the High Presidential Election Commission the ability to issue unchallengeable decisions. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Nader Bakar, the Spokesman of the Salafist Nour Party, has heavily criticized Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim for declining to allow police officers to grow their beards. Bakar said that such prohibitions went against basic human rights and Islamic rules. | Al-Ahram

Egyptian presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh was carjacked and beaten late Thursday as he was returning from a conference. | CNN

FEBRUARY 23

The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) has captured 24 seats in the second and final round of polling for Egypt's Shura Council, the Brotherhood's official website reported on Thursday. This brings the total number of council seats held by the FJP to 106, representing 59 percent of the total assembly. | Al-Ahram

Mary Elizabeth Whitehead, an American woman, was banned from leaving Egypt as part of its crackdown on foreign-funded pro-democracy groups. Whitehead was listed among seven Americans who are barred from travel by Egypt's attorney general. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Any attempt to force the ruling military council from power would lead to the “destruction of the nation,” said presidential aspirant Mohamed Selim al-Awa on Wednesday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

FEBRUARY 22

A visiting U.S. congressional delegation in Cairo on Monday expressed hope that current tensions between Cairo and Washington over the referral of six U.S. citizens to an Egyptian court on charges of interfering in Egypt's internal affairs through the operation of unlicensed NGOs would soon be resolved – far from U.S. threats to reduce or cancel economic and/or military assistance to Egypt. | Al-Ahram

Egypt on Wednesday said it rejected a United Nations offer to help the country write its new constitution, scheduled to be drafted by a constituent assembly after parliamentary elections end. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Amr Roshdy told reporters the minister instructed the relevant departments to thank the UN and excuse Egypt for not accepting the offer. | Al-Masry al-Youm

FEBRUARY 21

Mohamed Morsi, head of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), said the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing will announce which candidate the party will support only after the registration period for the presidential elections closes. | Al-Ahram

Member of Parliament Ziad El-Eleimy, a founding member of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, will be investigated by parliament after a majority in the People's Assembly voted to reject his explanation of comments he made on Saturday that MPs considered as insults against Field Marshal Tantawi and Islamist Salafist figure, Mohamed Hassan. | Al-Ahram

Mostafa al-Naggar, a member of parliament from the Adl Party, has gathered the signatures of 30 People’s Assembly members to request that independent MP Mostafa Bakry be referred to a parliamentary investigation for insulting former International Atomic Energy Agency Director Mohamed ElBaradei. | Al-Masry al-Youm

FEBRUARY 17

The Salafi al Nour Party said that it is a national necessity that Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri step down in order to safeguard the interest of the country, improve the ailing economy and alleviate the security vacuum.| Al-Masry al-Youm

Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the influential Muslim Brotherhood – along with the latter's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), which currently enjoys just shy of a parliamentary majority – are reportedly edging closer to declaring Arab League chief Nabil El-Arabi as their preferred presidential candidate, well-informed sources told Ahram Online. | Al-Ahram

Egyptian Ambassador to the United States Sameh Shukri told Ahram Online from Washington that the current turbulence plaguing the Egypt-U.S. relationship would not derail the "clearly strategic relationship between the two countries." | Al-Ahram

FEBRUARY 16

U.S. lawmakers from both parties stepped up their warnings Wednesday that Egypt's crackdown on democracy activists will force a review of U.S. aid to the longtime Mideast ally if the crisis is not quickly resolved. | Al-Ahram

The Muslim Brotherhood has warned that Egypt may review its 1979 peace deal with Israel if the United States cuts aid to the country, a move that could undermine a cornerstone of Washington's Middle East policy. | Reuters

Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb agreed on Thursday to back a fundraising campaign aimed at replacing US aid to Egypt, state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported. "I swear to God that the Egyptian people can in one night raise a hundred times more than the trivial U.S. aid," Salafi preacher Mohammad Hassan said in an interview with state-run TV Saturday, after which fundraising efforts began in several governorates. | Al-Masry al-Youm

FEBRUARY 15

The Advisory Council to Egypt’s military leaders said Tuesday that a new constitution must be drafted before presidential elections, a recommendation in line with the ruling military council's transition plan. Presidential elections are slated for June, leaving only three months to draft a constitution if the council carries out its plan. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Several leftist political groups met Tuesday to agree on a presidential hopeful to avoid fragmentation in the upcoming elections. The Socialist Popular Alliance Party, Egyptian Communist Party, Social Democratic Party, as well as many revolutionary youth groups and other parties met with different political forces. Hamdeen Sabbahi called on leftists to not be divided among several candidates with similar platforms. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party on Wednesday criticized an initiative led by a prominent Salafi sheikh to replace U.S. aid to Egypt, state-run news agency MENA reported. FJP President Mohamed Morsy said any talk about alternatives to the aid could impede the establishment of the state’s constitutional institutions. | Al-Masry al-Youm

FEBRUARY 14

Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie has confirmed that the group's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), plans to form a government before the end of the transitional period in June. His comments – made to the group's Ikhwanonline website – are significant because they are the first time a senior member of the Brotherhood has spoken on the issue. | al-Ahram

Political forces have condemned the eviction of eight Coptic families in Nahda village in Al-Amerya district of Alexandria. The families were evicted after an informal hearing held by one prominent sheikh in the district who ruled that the families must leave their homes. | al-Ahram

Egyptian state-run newspapers escalated a dispute with the United States over an inquiry into civil society groups on Tuesday by splashing across their front pages accusations of an American plan to spread "anarchy" in the Arab country. | Chicago Tribune

FEBRUARY 13

Jama’a al-Islamiya announced Monday the withdrawal of its support for the formation of a new coalition government led by the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party. The group said in a statement that there is no need to change the government during the interim period. Rather, if members of parliament are displeased with the current government, they should submit votes of no-confidence for ministers who do not fulfill their duties, Jama’a al-Islamiya said. | al-Masry al-Youm

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) on Sunday night issued a statement on a number of domestic and regional developments. The statement urged the public to take part in ongoing elections for the Shura Council (the upper, consultative house of Egypt's parliament); rejected the proposed restructuring of the National Council for Women (NCW); called for severing diplomatic ties with the Syrian regime; and condemned suspected Israeli plans to demolish Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque. | al-Ahram

Nour party spokesperson Nader Bakr revealed on Sunday that the party is now considering two ways forward; either to participate in a coalition government with the Freedom and Justice Party or to give the cabinet of Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri some time to correct its policies. | al-Ahram

FEBRUARY 10

The Egyptian Social Democratic Party, a founding member of the Egyptian Bloc electoral list, welcomes the Freedom and Justice Party's proposal to form a national salvation cabinet. Brotherhood Deputy Supreme Guide Khairat al-Shater said Wednesday that the Brotherhood is ready to form a coalition government and rejects the current government headed by Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri. | al-Masry al-Youm

Egypt will need about US$11 billion to finance an economic reform program over the next few years, said the finance minister Friday. | al-Masry al-Youm

Scores of protesters flocked to Tahrir Square Friday to participate in a protest against military rule they are calling the “Friday of Departure.” | al-Masry al-Youm

FEBRUARY 9

Tensions escalated in parliament after Speaker Saad El-Katatni stated that police forces had not used birdshot while confronting protesters in Cairo. He said that this is what he had been told by Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim. Upon hearing the statement, parliamentarian Mohamed Abu Hamed, vice president of the liberal Free Egyptians Party stood up and held aloft a birdshot canister that is believed to have been collected from the site of the clashes. The young lawyer was opposed by many of his fellow MPs. | al-Ahram

The head of al-Nour, Emad al-Din Ghaffour, believes it will take time for the ruling military to hand power to civilians but says the army cannot enjoy a privileged status "above the constitution." | Al-Masry al-Youm

Pope Shenouda III, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, joined other political and social forces Wednesday in rejecting the civil disobedience that some activists have called for on February 11 to mark the first anniversary of former President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation. | Al-Masry al-Youm

FEBRUARY 8

A Salafi member of Egypt’s lower legislative house, the People’s Assembly, is insisting that parliamentary sessions pause during prayer times. MP Mamdouh Ismail sparked controversy Tuesday when he made the call to prayer during the session, which provoked criticism by other members, including Speaker Saad al-Katatny, who considered Ismail’s action a violation of parliamentary procedures. | al-Masry al-Youm

After two days of negotiations, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF)'s Advisory Council has recommended that the SCAF set presidential elections for May 16 instead of June to allow the military council to hand over power to a civilian authority in early June instead of the end of June. The recommendation came after the SCAF asked the Advisory Council to consider an earlier-than-scheduled handover of power to a civilian authority. | al-Ahram

Egypt’s Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri told a press conference on Wednesday that the ruling military council will hand over power on June 30 and no earlier. | al-Ahram

FEBRUARY 7

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed said that there are three issues of importance to the Arab Gulf states that Egypt’s Brotherhood must clarify in order for a new page to be opened between both sides. First, the Gulf states require clear assurances from the Brotherhood that it will not seek to “export the revolution” to the Gulf. Secondly, the Gulf states require assurances that any Muslim Brotherhood-backed government in Egypt will not compromise Gulf security. Lastly, Gulf states would gladly commit to further investments if the Egyptian government adopts a clear developmental plan and position with regard to Egypt’s IMF and World Bank commitments. | al-Masry al-Youm

A parliamentary committee report on Tuesday recommended holding Egypt's interior minister responsible for the deaths of protesters during recent clashes in downtown Cairo around the Interior Ministry. | al-Masry al-Youm

Muslim Brotherhood Secretary-General Mahmoud Hussein has condemned calls for a general strike and campaign of civil disobedience beginning on 11 February, the first anniversary of the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak. | al-Ahram

FEBRUARY 6

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is considering a set of steps that could contain current public outrage, sparked with the massacre in Port Said of 73 football fans last Wednesday night. The steps include a mild speeding up of presidential elections. | al-Ahram

The Egypt Revolutionaries' Alliance – which brings under its umbrella over 50 political groups including the country’s six most prominent revolutionary movements – listed seven demands to be met in order for its anticipated campaign of civil disobedience to end. One of them was speeding up of presidential elections. | al-Ahram

The military-appointed Advisory Council will suspend its meetings if the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces rejects its recommendations to end the current crisis in the country, members said. | al-Masry al-Youm

FEBRUARY 3

Would-be presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi blasted the performance of MPs at an emergency session of parliament on Thursday convened to discuss Wednesday evening's football violence in Port Said. "We had expected a stronger reaction from MPs – one that reflected the mounting anger on the street," Sabahi said in a Thursday statement. | al-Ahram

“What happened was no mass riot, but rather a full-fledged crime and a terrible massacre by forces that do not care about the human soul,” said candidate Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh about the Port Said violence on Wednesday. “The armed robberies of the past few days show that the military council is complicit as remnants of the former regime in the security forces and Interior Ministry try to sow discord and spread chaos,” he said. | al-Masry al-Youm

A majority of People’s Assembly members agreed on Thursday to officially hold Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim responsible for the deaths and injuries resulting from clashes in Port Said Stadium after a football match between the Ahly and Masry teams. After MP Essam al-Erian of the Freedom and Justice Party submitted a request that was signed by 120 members, MPs voted in favor of charging the interior minister directly, rather than referring the matter to Parliament’s legislative committee. | al-Masry al-Youm

FEBRUARY 2

The Muslim Brotherhood spokesman has pointed the finger at the interior ministry following Port Said’s deadly football riots which left more than 70 dead and hundreds injured on Wednesday. | al-Ahram

The People’s Assembly will convene an emergency session Thursday morning to discuss the melee, with many pro-democracy activists calling on them to demand an immediate transfer of power from the military junta to a civilian authority. | al-Ahram

Representatives from the Free Egyptians, Democratic Front, Wasat, and Reform and Development parties and the National Association for Change demanded that the People's Assembly withdraw confidence from the government of interim Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri, after violence at a football match Wednesday night left at least 71 dead. | al-Masry al-Youm

FEBRUARY 1

A general agreement has been reached among certain political groups, parties and figures that a quick transition of power from Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to a civil authority is needed. Exactly how power should be handed over, however, remains the subject of debate. | al-Ahram

Members of parliament's human rights committee have objected to comments made by Interior Minister Ibrahim Youssef on Tuesday that the emergency laws remain in place to fight terrorism and thuggery, and that there are no political prisoners in the interior ministry's custody. | al-Ahram

Several thousand demonstrators marched to the parliament building on "Determination Tuesday," demanding the immediate handover of power from the military council to a civilian government. The marches also had a number of other demands related to Egypt’s democratic transition and social welfare. However, instead of reaching parliament, the march was met by hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood loyalists who claimed anti-revolution gangs were threatening to destroy the parliament’s headquarters. | al-Ahram

JANUARY 31

Liberal representative Amr Hamzawy proposed a bill that would bring presidential elections forward by two months, and which would put Parliament, not the military council, in charge of the electoral process. | al-Ahram

Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood maintain close contact, Iran's foreign minister has said in an interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm. "Tehran is in constant contact with the Muslim Brotherhood," said Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Parliament met today and the main issues were the timing of presidential elections, the validity of laws that the SCAF had passed before the parliament had come into session, and reimbursing the families of the martyrs. | al-Ahram

JANUARY 30

Elections for Egypt's upper house of Parliament, the Shura Council, began Sunday with little fanfare. Unlike the first day of voting for the People's Assembly, the lower house, the Shura Council elections barely attracted any attention. In fact, many polling stations were empty. | al-Masry al-Youm

The political group, the Revolution Youth Union, is calling for a million man march for Tuesday during the "Revolution Continues Week" that started Friday with tens of thousands of Egyptians marching towards Tahrir Square. | al-Ahram

The shortage of fuel and butane gas cylinders is continuing in many governorates amidst protests against soaring black market prices. | Al-Masry al-Youm

JANUARY 27

Leading members of the influential Muslim Brotherhood and their Freedom and Justice Party are opening channels of communication with some of former president Hosni Mubarak's cabinet ministers and members of the now defunct National Democratic Party. The talks, according to independent sources, have included delegating envoys to meet some of the former key ministers who exited Egypt upon the end of the Mubarak regime and had never come back. | al-Ahram

The Free Egyptians Party is against a handover of power to the People's Assembly (parliament's lower house), Mohamed Abou Hamed, the head of the party's parliamentarians told Ahram Online. Abou Hamed joined the Mostafa Mahmoud march to Tahrir Square to demand the ruling military council hand over power. The parliamentarian went on to clarify that his opposition stems from a wariness of the Assembly's Islamist majority. Abou Hamed believes instead that presidential elections should be brought forward. | al-Ahram

Mohamed ElBaradei on Friday suggested that the newly elected People's Assembly elect an interim president to preside over the remainder of the transitional period. | Al-Masry al-Youm

JANUARY 26

The SCAF repeatedly dismissed council members’ opinions, and dialogue between the council and decision-making institutions in Egypt is impossible with the SCAF standing in the way, said Mohamed Nour Farahat, former secretary general of the advisory council. | al-Masry al-Youm

Salafi presidential hopeful Hazem Abu Ismail is proposing that Egypt cancel elections for the Shura Council, the upper house of Parliament, to expedite the upcoming presidential election and the transition to a civilian government. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, announced in a press release on Thursday that Egypt's elected parliament has the right to hold all state institutions accountable, and above all, the military. Badie added that parliament has the right to reduce the army's budget through a special committee. | Al-Ahram

JANUARY 25

Thousands of Egyptians are holding a rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square marking the first anniversary of the uprising which toppled President Hosni Mubarak. Some are celebrating the success of Islamist parties in the first post-Mubarak elections, while others are calling for further political reforms. The decades-old state of emergency law has been partially lifted to mark the anniversary. | BBC News

Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb urged protesters in Tahrir Square Wednesday to maintain national unity for the anniversary of the January 25 revolution, which led to former President Hosni Mubarak's ouster last February. "The Arab and Islamic nations and all world countries are watching you," Tayyeb said in a statement read by his deputy, Hassan al-Shafey. "Stun them with your terrific unity and your uniquely peaceful revolt." | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Muslim Brotherhood will not speak or meet with Israeli officials and its stance on Israel is not up for discussion, group spokesperson Mahmoud Ghezlan told London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. | Al-Masry al-Youm

JANUARY 24

Continued violations against individual freedoms and the absence of social justice prove the old regime still exists despite the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak, said Islamist presidential hopeful Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh on Tuesday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The People’s Assembly on Tuesday began its session by discussing how the government should respond to the demands of the families of the revolution's martyrs, as well as those injured during the uprising. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The gulf state would never support the Salafis in Egypt, a prominent half-brother of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah said on Sunday. “If they are receiving money from Saudi Arabia, it would be from Saudi Salafis, not the government,” said Prince Talal bin Abdel Aziz, father of billionaire al-Waleed bin Talal, and the chairman of the Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND). | Al-Masry al-Youm

JANUARY 23

The inaugural session of Egypt’s first post-Hosni Mubarak People's Assembly kicked off on Monday with ultra-orthodox Islamists insisting on adding religious references to the official oath. The first session started with the swearing-in of the assembly's 508 representatives. MPs had to swear to "to protect faithfully the country's safety, the republican regime, to take care of the people's interests and to respect the Constitution and the law." As soon as his name was called out, Salafi lawyer Mamdouh Ismail stood up and held the microphone to recite the oath, but added at the end "as long as God's law is not violated.” | Al-Masry al-Youm

Mohamed Saad El-Katatni, former secretary of the Freedom and Justice Party has been officially voted as speaker for the People's Assembly, winning 399 votes from his fellow MPs. In second place was Essam Sultan of Al-Wasat Party, who took 87 votes. | Al-Ahram

Abou El-Ezz El-Hariri, a Socialist Popular Alliance Party MP and head of the Revolution Continues bloc in the Assembly, speaking to Egyptian television, stated that his first objective will be to fight corruption and that his first demand would be to open the files of the International Arab Bank, accused of illegal cash transfers out of the Arab world. For his part, Saad El-Katatini stated that the first order of business would be seeing to the rights of the revolution's martyrs and injured. | Al-Ahram

JANUARY 20

A group demanding the cancellation of Egypt's debts has branded a potential new IMF loan as "odious," saying any future borrowing should be decided by the Egyptian people and based on a full and transparent appraisal of the country's economy. The Popular Campaign to Drop Egypt’s Debts (PCDED) made its statement as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) rounded off a two-day visit to Cairo aimed at restarting talks on a contentious $3.2 billion loan. | Al-Ahram

The Tagammu Party’s official spokesman, Nabil Zaki, declared Thursday that it would not enter into any parliamentary affiliation with Islamists, namely the Salafist Al-Nour Party and the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party. | Al-Ahram

The pro-revolution Masrena movement issued calls on Thursday to bring the candidacy registration period for upcoming presidential elections forward to 28 February, immediately after scheduled Shura Council elections. | Al-Azhar

JANUARY 19

Muslim Brotherhood officials have assured the United States that they will abide by the 32-year-old Camp David accords, a major concern for the Americans, who consider the deal a cornerstone of stability in the region. They also say that the Brotherhood itself will not recognize Israel and that its members will not meet with Israeli counterparts. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter on Wednesday called on the U.S. government to respect the landslide electoral victory realized by Islamist parties in Egypt’s first post-Mubarak parliamentary polls so as to support democracy and political stability in the region. | Al-Azhar

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded its visit to Egypt on Wednesday, saying it had met with the economic committee of the Freedom and Justice Party and many of the country's other main political bodies and that it will resume talks on a new $3.2 billion loan soon. | Al-Ahram

JANUARY 18

On its official Twitter account, Mohamed ElBaradei’s press office has denied rumors that he will form a political party after withdrawing from the presidential race. | Al-Ahram

Egypt is facing unprecedented “grave dangers” but its military will protect it, military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi said in remarks published Wednesday which appeared aimed at rallying public opinion against protests planned for next week’s anniversary of the country’s 2011 uprising. | Washington Post

The Free Egyptians Party said that it withdrew from the Egyptian Bloc alliance adding that it will act independently after the elections end. The party withdrew in a protest against assigning key posts in the parliament before it convenes. | All Africa

JANUARY 17

The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, officially announced the nomination of Mohamed Saad El-Katatni as speaker of the People's Assembly. The announcement came at a press conference held at the party’s headquarters at the end of a coordination meeting with the political parties. | Egypt State Information Service

Representatives of various political parties met at the Cairo headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party on Monday, where they agreed that the two deputy speakers for Egypt’s incoming People's Assembly should be nominated by the parties that came in second and third in Egypt’s recently concluded legislative polls. | Al-Ahram

The liberal Wafd Party’s higher committee declared on Monday that the party would not align itself with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party in the incoming national assembly. | Al-Ahram

JANUARY 13

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood would consider supporting a deal to obtain emergency aid from the IMF, providing there are no conditions attached and alternatives are explored first, a senior official in the Brotherhood said. | Al-Ahram

Former Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa denied receiving funds from Saudi Arabia for his election campaign, in an interview with London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper Friday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Court rulings have invalidated the results of various elections around Egypt for the third round of elections for the lower house of parliament, delaying the conclusion of the first half of Egypt's first post-Mubarak parliamentary polls. | Al-Masry al-Youm

JANUARY 12

Supporters of Mahmoud Nabih, a candidate affiliated with the dissolved National Democratic Party (NDP), set the Daqahlia Governorate headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party on fire early Thursday morning, after receiving news that their candidate had lost in a parliamentary elections run-off. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The marathon three-part elections for Egypt’s People’s Assembly, the lower house of the Egyptian parliament, came to a conclusion on Wednesday, with the closure of polling stations after run-offs for the third phase. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Egypt's three major churches and the Maspero Youth Union have come out in support of Al-Azhar's proposed basic freedoms document, which lays out a basic framework for respecting freedom of belief and expression in Egypt. | Al-Masry al-Youm

JANUARY 11

The U.S. State Department's number two met Wednesday with leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood's party after it claimed a crushing victory in landmark post-revolution parliamentary elections. | Al-Masry al-Youm

“Consensus has to be reached between political forces on the issue of drafting the new constitution before holding presidential elections. It is not a sound resolution to elect a president without a constitution to define his powers,” announced Mohamed El-Kholy, spokesman of the military council’s advisory council on Tuesday. | Al-Ahram

Third-round run-off elections in Egypt’s first post-Mubarak parliamentary polls were held for the second and final day on Wednesday. According to midday reports, polling stations in several governorates had seen a relatively low turnout. | Al-Ahram

JANUARY 10

The trial of former President Hosni Mubarak will continue into February, delaying a verdict until after the anniversary of the uprising against Mubarak that began last year on 25 January. The court on Tuesday adjourned the trial to January 17, after which it will hold daily sessions until February 16. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Presidential hopeful Ayman Nour, founder of the liberal Ghad Al-Thawra (‘The Revolution’s Tomorrow’) Party, responded to allegations by eyewitnesses of last month’s Cabinet clashes accusing him for inciting the violence. He claims the accusations were politically motivated. | Al-Ahram

The sheikh of Omar Makram Mosque located on Tahrir Square, Mazhar Shahin, known as the “Tahrir preacher,” and prominent activist Nawara Negm have been summoned by prosecutors in relation to bloody clashes in December following a clampdown on a sit-in at the nearby Cabinet headquarters. | Al-Ahram

JANUARY 9

A group of 56 parties and movements from various revolutionary coalitions have issued a statement on Sunday regarding the continuation of the revolution and the transfer of power from the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to a civilian-elected government, parliament and president. Among the 56 parties who signed the statement include Al-Wasat Party, the Egyptian Current Party, the Maspero Youth Union, the Democratic Front Party, and Al-Hadara Party. | Al-Ahram

Salafist leader Hazem Salah Abou-Ismail said on Sunday the contact United States Senator John Kerry has made with the Muslim Brotherhood on Saturday underlines the Islamists strength. | Al-Ahram

U.S. Senator and head of the U.S. Senate foreign relations ‎committee John Kerry, along with U.S. Ambassador to Egypt ‎Anne Patterson, visited the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and ‎Justice Party (FJP) Cairo headquarters on Saturday. | Al-Ahram

JANUARY 6

Muslim Brotherhood Guidance Bureau member Ibrahim Mounir denied on Friday his organization had reassured Washington concerning Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel. Mounir told Iranian satellite channel El-Alam that the MB had previously explained that this issue would be proposed to the Egyptian nation in a referendum to decide upon its fate. | al-Ahram

The Muslim Brotherhood's party list won more than a third of the votes in the last stage of elections for the lower house of parliament, according to partial results on Friday, which show the Islamists are set to dominate the legislature. | al-Masry al-Youm

A massive plan to protect Egyptian churches swung into action on Friday as Coptic Christians prepared to celebrate their first post-revolution Christmas, with Islamist leaders attending for the first time. | AFP

JANUARY 5

Public prosecutors finished making their case against ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak on Thursday after presenting evidence implicating Mubarak in the murder of unarmed protesters during last year’s 18-day uprising. Prosecutors are now calling for the death penalty to be applied to the deposed head of state, former interior minister Habib El-Adly and six of the latter’s assistants. | Al-Ahram

The April 6 Youth Movement announced Wednesday it will begin to hold daily marches to build unity in preparation for the first anniversary of the 25 January revolution. April 6 spokesperson Mahmoud Afify said that his group will distribute hundreds of thousands of fliers calling on Egyptians to take to the streets and give voice to demands of the revolution that have not yet been realized. | Al-Masry al-Youm

"The people need a ruler with a military background," said former deputy chief of General Intelligence Services Hossam Khairallah on a talk show Wednesday night, following his Monday announcement that he will run for president. | Al-Masry al-Youm

JANUARY 4

Egypt’s public prosecutor is continuing its investigations into four members of the April 6 youth movement (Democratic Front) that were recently arrested in Old Cairo while distributing flyers critical of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). | al-Ahram

Israel did not order its ambassador in Cairo to launch dialogue with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) despite recent reports to the contrary in the Israeli press, according to a statement issued Wednesday by an Israeli foreign ministry official. | al-Ahram

The prosecution in the Hosni Mubarak trial said on Wednesday it has concluded that Egypt's ousted president, his security chief and six top police officers were the "actual instigators" of the killing of more than 800 protesters during last year's popular uprising that brought down his regime. | Associated Press

JANUARY 3

The Muslim Brotherhood’s official spokesperson Mahmoud Ghozlan on Monday told Dream TV that the group might support a scenario whereby the members of the military council are granted immunity from prosecution in return for a peaceful handover of power. | al-Ahram

The trial for ousted President Hosni Mubarak has been adjourned to Wednesday after resuming Tuesday at the Cairo Criminal Court. During the hearing, prosecutor Mostafa Suleiman said that Mubarak "created a corrupt regime that destroyed political life, and he devoted all of his efforts during the last decade of his reign toward his goal of transferring power to his son Gamal and rigging parliamentary and local elections." | al-Masry al-Youm

Egyptians lined up in front of polling centers in nine provinces to cast their ballots Tuesday in the third and final round of the country's first parliamentary elections following the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. Some 14 million voters in one-third of Egypt's 27 provinces are to elect 150 members of parliament. | USA Today

DECEMBER 19

The Freedom and Justice Party has declared that its electoral lists won 37.3 percent of votes in the second round of elections; the elections witnessed a 67 percent voter turnout and most individual races will be determined in an upcoming run-off. | Al-Masry Al-Youm; Al-Masry Al-Youm

A host of prominent Egyptian political leaders have announced plans to stage a sit-in outside of Cairo’s Supreme Judiciary Court to demand an immediate cessation of violence against anti-government protesters. | Ahram Online

Nineteen different political and cultural movements have called for a million-man march in Cairo to protest against military rule. The weekend witnessed clashes between protesters and the military outside of Egypt’s cabinet, leading to the death of 13 and the injuring of over 500. | Ahram Online

DECEMBER 16

Early results from the second round of People's Assembly elections emerging Friday suggested another landslide victory for Islamists. Vote counting began late Thursday night after polling stations closed. Overall counts for party list-based seats showed the Democratic Alliance list, led by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justicy Party (FJP) taking the most votes, followed by the Egyptian Bloc, Nour Party, Revolution Continues Coalition (RCC) and Wasat Party lists. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Egypt has not requested an International Monetary Fund financing, an IMF spokesman said on Thursday, after an Egyptian minister said the country may resume talks with the global lender on a loan program. | al-Ahram

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) referred a draft law on presidential elections to the new advisory council on Friday. The law states that the presidential elections committee will be headed by the Head of the Constitutional Court and have as members the Head of Cairo Appeals Court in addition to veteran deputies of the heads of the Constitutional Court, the Cassation Court and the State Council. | Egypt State Information Service

DECEMBER 15

The first day of the second round of parliamentary elections that began Wednesday in nine governorates passed smoothly without any violent incidents. | Egypt State Information Service

Candidates seeking to run in Egypt's presidential election will need the support of 30 members of parliament or 30,000 citizens, according to a draft of a presidential election law, details of which were published by the state news agency on Thursday. The draft also allows any party with at least one elected seat in parliament to field one of its members for the post, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported, citing the draft. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Salafi Nour Party’s economic policy program is based upon a liberal economy with free markets. The party states that it opposes nationalization of industry however that under the Salafi interpretation of Islamic law, natural resources and water must be under control of the state. | al-Ahram

DECEMBER 14

Islamists are expected to sweep the parliamentary elections taking place today and tomorrow in the governorate of Sharqiya, north of Cairo. In addition to widespread support, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party and the Salafi-led Nour Party also benefit from the lack of organized opposition in the governorate. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Democratic Alliance will submit its paper on the constitution in the coming days. The Muslim Brotherhood dominated group will propose that the President of Egypt only handle national security and foreign policy, with all domestic policy powers going to the Prime Minister. It will also propose repealing the article labeling Egypt as a “socialist country” with the words “civil state with an Islamic reference.” | Al-Masry al-Youm

Prime Minister Dr. Kamal El Ganzouri has issued a decision setting up the National Council for taking care of the revolution martyrs and injured. | Egypt State Information Service

DECEMBER 13

Amid widening polarization between Islamist and liberal currents, Egyptians will begin voting in the second round of the country’s first post-Mubarak parliamentary polls on Wednesday. The second round will cover nine out of Egypt’s 27 governorates, including Giza, Sohag, Beni Suef, Aswan, Sharqiya, Menoufiya, Beheira, Ismailiya and Suez. | Al-Ahram

The Wafd and the Adl parties, the Egyptian Bloc, the RCC and other secular parties met several times last week and agreed to coordinate in competition for some individual seats. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the chief of the supreme council of the armed forces SCAF has stressed the importance of intensifying security measures to secure voting and vote counting in order to secure the highest degree of transparency and fairness in the second round of parliamentary elections. | Egypt State Information Service

DECEMBER 12

Prime Minster Kamal El-Ganzouri was forced to relocate his Cabinet on Monday afternoon from its temporary home at the ‎Ministry of Planning to the Ministry of Investment on Cairo’s ‎Salah Salem Street due to ongoing protests by workers. | Al-Ahram

An Egyptian pro-military group on Monday resumed its campaign to collect signatures in support of electing Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), as president. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Israel's new ambassador to Egypt expressed hope on Monday that Egypt and Israel will continue to have peaceful relations. | Al-Masry al-Youm

DECEMBER 8

Egypt’s military rulers said Wednesday that they would control the process of writing a constitution and maintain authority over the interim government to check the power of Islamists who have taken a commanding lead in parliamentary elections. Gen. Mukhtar al-Mulla of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said that the parliamentary election results do not represent the Egyptian people due to the exceptional times that the people were voting in, and stated that the constitutional amendment process may only include amending Article V on the presidency and not the entire document. | New York Times

Egypt's biggest political group the Muslim Brotherhood clashed with the country's army leaders on Thursday, accusing them of trying to "marginalize" parliament over the writing of a new constitution. | Now Lebanon

Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is expected to meet with representatives of various political powers and parties on Thursday to discuss final arrangements for a proposed “advisory council” mandated with advising the SCAF until presidential elections can be held. SCAF head Field-Marshal Hussein Tantawi is expected to issue a decree formally establishing the council later the same day. | Al Ahram

DECEMBER 7

EmA military source has denied claims repeated by some newspapers that General Sami Anan, deputy chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), told Emad Abdel Ghafour, chairman of the Nour party, that there will be a new government right after the parliamentary elections. | Al-Ahram

The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) won 34 individual seats of the 45 it contested in the first run-off vote of Egypt's parliamentary elections, a party source said on Wednesday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has delegated presidential powers to Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri, state news agency MENA said on Wednesday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

DECEMBER 6

Emad Abdel Ghafour, chairman of the Salafi Nour Party, said that his party may form a parliamentary coalition with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice party. It would be an expansive coalition and not purely Islamic. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Mohamed Badie, the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, gave an interview to al-Mehwar TV. He noted that the Brotherhood supports a semi-presidential system where the president and parliament would have equal powers like France, and defended the movement’s decision to not join the protests against the SCAF in the week prior to the elections. Badie also noted that the group still rejected the Selmi Document which would have empowered the SCAF. | Al-Ahram

The success of Islamist candidates in the first phase of the parliamentary elections has shattered the hopes of liberals and socialists aiming to win at least 50 percent of seats in parliament. | Al-Masry al-Youm

DECEMBER 5

The run-off for the first round of Egyptian parliamentary elections has begun; only 4 of the 56 seats were secured in votes before the run-off. | Ahram Online

Prime Minister Ganzouri has stated that the government will amend an article of the interim constitution which relates to the SCAF’s powers. | Al-Masry Al-Youm

The head of the Salafi El-Nour party has stated that his group is unlikely to form an alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood. | Ahram Online

State television has reported that Egypt’s new prime minister is keeping at least half the ministers unchanged in a new cabinet. | Reuters

DECEMBER 2

Initial results for the first stage of the parliamentary elections indicates that the Freedom and Justice Party will win around 40 percent of the vote. | Ahram Online

Essam Sharaf has officially announced the resignation of his cabinet. | Al-Masry Al-Youm

DECEMBER 1

In an effort to meet the demands of revolutionary forces, Egypt’s ruling SCAF is expected to announce the formation of an “advisory council” imminently; the council would consist of 30 members representing all political orientations and would serve as a “buffer zone” between the public and the SCAF. | Ahram Online

Results from the first round of voting from Egypt’s historic election are being delayed. | CNN

Prime Minister Ganzouri has delayed his cabinet announcement to Saturday; he blamed the delay on his desire to hear multiple points of view and admitted that various well-known figures have turned down cabinet posts. | Ahram Online

NOVEMBER 30

Abdel Moez Ibrahim, head of the High Elections Committee, will present the official results of Egypt’s first round of parliamentary elections in a press conference on Thursday. | Al-Masry Al-Youm

With preliminary results indicating significant victories for the Freedom and Justice Party, Mohamed Morsi, head of the party, stated that the incoming parliamentary majority would appoint a new coalition government. | Ahram Online

NOVEMBER 29

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi met Monday with Prime Minister designate Kamal el-Ganzouri to review current consultations to form an advisory council. The attendees agreed to form an advisory board grouping a host of national powers, political currents and experts to take part in offering solutions to political, social and economic problems. | Egypt State Information Service

France urged Egypt's military rulers to cede power to civilians as the country braced for more pro-democracy demonstrations. | Al-Ahram

According to Hani Naguib, a member of the liberal-oriented Egyptian Bloc, two voting lists that proved popular in Egypt’s elections—despite facing fierce counter-campaigns—are the Egyptian Bloc and the moderate-Islamist Wasat Party. Naguib said he expected that the bloc's share of seats would not fall below 20 percent of the assembly. | Al-Ahram

NOVEMBER 18

Egypt’s cabinet reports that discussions will continue this week on Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Selmi's supra-constitutional principles contrary to earlier media reports claiming that the discussions would be postponed until after the forthcoming parliamentary elections. | Al-Ahram

Osama Ghazali Harb has suggested a new roadmap for the Egyptian transition involving a national rescue cabinet, electing a constituent assembly for a constitution, then electing a president, then having parliamentary elections according to the new constitution. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Tens of thousands of protestors have gathered in Tahrir Square well before Friday’s noon prayer, chanting against the “El-Selmi Document” which contains government-proposed supra-constitutional principles. A number of groups have declared their plan to participate including: the Muslim Brotherhood, several factions of the Salafist movement, the Adl Party, the Revolutionary Socialists, the Democratic Workers Party, the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, April 6 Youth Movement, and the Revolution Youth Coalition. Others, however, have decided to boycott. They include the Free Egyptians Party, the Tagammu Party, the Wafd Party, and the Egyptian Communist Party. | Al-Ahram

Adl Party founder Mustafa El-Naggar said that Friday’s protest was not only about the supra-constitutional principles, but also about a date for coming presidential elections and a timetable for handing power over to an elected civil authority. The Adl Party is demanding that the SCAF conduct presidential elections by April of next year, as is al-Gama’a al-Islamiyah. | Al-Ahram

NOVEMBER 17

The state of insecurity prevailing in Egypt has been “fabricated” and perpetuated by former Tora prison officials, presidential hopeful Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh said Wednesday, blaming the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) for allowing the officials to fund a militia of thugs. | Al-Masry al-Youm

A march to commemorate the 40-day anniversary of the Maspero clashes has been attacked, according to Reuters. It is still unclear who attacked the protesters, who were marching through the Shubra district of Cairo, with various reports saying it was thugs, Salafists or local residents. | Al-Masry al-Youm

NOVEMBER 16

The moderate Islamist Wasat Party announced on Tuesday the final wording of its parliamentary electoral platform, saying there will be no changes to the provisions that regulate the relationship between religion and the state. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Human Rights Watch has called on Egypt to release a prominent blogger detained by military prosecutors. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Egyptian TV’s website on Monday reported that U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jacob Walles said he informed Essam al-Erian, deputy chief of the Freedom and Justice Party, that the U.S. administration has reviewed some former policies relating to the Middle East. | Al-Masry al-Youm

NOVEMBER 15

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Selmi held talks with the political parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, over the supra-constitutional principles document. All articles which empowered the military within the document have been cancelled; however the minister has stated he has no intention to withdraw the document. | Al-Ahram

A Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) candidate running for parliamentary elections on Tuesday announced the formation of a nationwide committee comprised of Salafis and Muslim Brotherhood members to discuss general matters pertaining to Egypt. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The draft of the constitutional principles proposed by Deputy Prime Minister for Political Development and Democratic Transition -Selmi cannot be canceled entirely as human rights principles are irrevocable, said Tourism Minister Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour. | Egypt State Information Service

NOVEMBER 14

Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr underlined Egypt's absolute rejection of any foreign interference in Syria's affairs under any circumstances, stressing that Syria's unity is a priority and should always be safeguarded. | Egypt State Information Service

The Supreme Administrative Court is expected to issue on Monday a final ruling over the candidacy of former NDP members in the upcoming parliamentary elections. | Al-Ahram

The Muslim Brotherhood-led Democratic Alliance electoral coalition—along with most of Egypt’s other political parties, movements and presidential candidates—announced its rejection on Sunday of a draft of government-proposed “supra-constitutional principles” and gave Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) until Wednesday to withdraw the controversial document. | Al-Ahram

NOVEMBER 10

Egyptian Minister of Tourism Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour said that all the national political powers have declared their position on the supra-constitutional principles and that reaching an agreement does not mean consensus. He notes some supra-constitutional principles are non-negotiable, such as human rights, equality between citizens, and citizenship rights. | Al-Ahram

Islamist powers in Egypt toughened their stance Wednesday against the draft constitutional principles document, threatening an open-ended sit-in after a mass demonstration planned for Friday , November 18. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis are teaming up as “one hand” to defeat Mostafa Najjar, a former Brotherhood member and now head of the liberal al-Adl Party, in Cairo. | Al-Mogaz

NOVEMBER 9

The High Judicial Elections Commission has finalized the amendment of lists of political blocs and parties in all constituencies for the upcoming elections of the People's Assembly and Shura Council. | Egypt State Information Service

U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton has described the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) as the establishment of stability and continuity in Egypt in spite of what she treat as the slow pace of democratic reform and the continuation of the state of emergency that characterized the era of former president Hosni Mubarak. | Egypt State Information Service

A Salafi Nour Party leader said members met last week with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party to coordinate candidate nominations ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections. However, the Freedom and Justice party denied the two groups were collaborating. | Al-Masry al-Youm

NOVEMBER 8

Islamists are planning for massive demonstrations on Friday, November 18 to protest the document of supra-constitutional principles Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmy is advocating. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Prospective Egyptian presidential candidate Amr Moussa left Egypt for New York on Monday. Moussa, who is the former secretary-general of the Arab League, is expected to meet with Ban Ki-moon, the secretary-general of the United Nations. | Al-Ahram

Major General Ismail Etman, the director of the Morale Affairs Department of ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has denied what broadcasted on a website about the declaration of general mobilization as of November 2011. | Egypt State Information Service

NOVEMBER 4

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Thursday said there are no reasons to delay the parliamentary elections, scheduled to kick off later this month. | Egypt State Information Service

The document for supraconstitutional principles is a draft that can be put up for debate, affirmed Deputy Prime Minister for Political Development Ali el-Selmi on Thursday. He stated that he aimed to achieve a national consensus on the document. | Egypt State Information Service

Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmy has announced amendments to Articles 9 and 10 of the draft constitutional principles document that pertain to the armed forces, as well as the article related to the constituent committee tasked with writing the constitution after elections. | Al-Masry al-Youm

NOVEMBER 3

A communiqué issued by Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmi on supra-constitutional principles is divided into two parts: the first comprises 22 articles that will form the “supra-constitutional principles” for the state; the second puts together the criteria for choosing the constituent assembly that will draft Egypt’s new constitution. | al-Ahram

For some liberals, allowing the military to retain power would be less harmful than leaving Islamists unchecked. According to Mohamed Hamed, a leader of the Free Egyptians Party, a military dictatorship is more acceptable that a “Taliban-style” rule. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Officials plan to amend Egypt's interim constitution to permit expatriates to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections under the supervision of diplomatic missions abroad, according to High Elections Commission head Abdel Moez Ibrahim. | Al-Masry al-Youm

NOVEMBER 1

The trial of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has been adjourned until December 28 as a judiciary panel decides on whether or not to replace the presiding judge, Ahmed Refaat. | al-Ahram

Parliamentary elections campaigning is set to start Wednesday, High Elections Commission Chairman Judge Abdel Moez Ibrahim said Tuesday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Bahrain fervently supports Egypt's membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said Monday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

OCTOBER 31

Al Azhar has released a document on democracy in the Arab world. The document upholds the right of people to reform their societies in accordance with democracy, constitutional principles and Islamic Sharia.| al-Masry al-Youm

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Sunday vowed to remove any obstacles facing the coming parliamentary elections, so Egypt will become a democratic state. | Egypt State Information Service

The Treachery Law will be issued within days, Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmy said on Monday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

OCTOBER 28

The European Parliament in Strasbourg passed a draft resolution Thursday accusing the Egyptian and Syrian governments of persecuting their Christian minorities. | al-Masry al-Youm

Thousands of protesters have gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square to express their disdain at the military council's handling of Egypt since assuming power from toppled president Hosni Mubarak on February 11. | Al-Ahram

The head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) affirmed that no law related to the judiciary will be issued until it is referred to the People's Assembly. | Egypt State Information Service

OCTOBER 27

Twenty-five Egyptians left a jail in southern Israel on Thursday and were being bused to the border with Egypt ahead of a swap for a U.S.-Israeli citizen jailed in Cairo on suspicion of espionage. | ABC

The Islamist Coalition, which includes the Salafi-led Nour and Asala parties and the Jama'a al-Islamiya’s Construction and Development Party, announced it is fielding 693 candidates in the upcoming parliamentary elections. | Al-Masry al-Youm

As Egyptian political parties marshal their forces for parliamentary elections next month, the country's secularists have found themselves outmanned by Islamists whose political machines have been poised at the ready for generations. Some secular-minded politicians now hope to draw strength from an untapped reservoir of moderate religious identity: Egypt's Sufis, who adhere to a mystical, ascetic understanding of Islam that rejects extremism and champions a liberal state. | Wall Street Journal

OCTOBER 26

The Salafi Nour Party on Wednesday announced it had signed a code of ethics with the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party in which the parties promise to behave respectfully towards each other's parliamentary election campaigns. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Islamist presidential hopeful Mohamed Selim al-Awa on Wednesday urged Egyptians not to participate in demonstrations in order to maintain stability before and during the parliamentary elections scheduled to start 28 November. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Egypt Bloc, a political alliance of liberal parties, submitted its candidate lists for the parliamentary elections on Tuesday after much negotiation over the final nominations. | Al-Masry al-Youm

OCTOBER 25

Officially, 29 party lists and 1,025 individual candidates registered for the People’s Assembly elections; 11 parties and 285 individual candidates will compete for Shura Council seats. | Al-Masry al-Youm

U.S. President Barack Obama urged Egypt's army chief to lift a state of emergency and end military trials for civilians, according to the White House. | Al-Ahram

More than 6,700 candidates and 47 political parties have officially completed the necessary paperwork to compete in November's historic parliamentary elections which will pit the favored Islamists against liberals and leftists. | Al-Ahram

OCTOBER 24

An Egyptian revolutionary umbrella group on Sunday called for a mass demonstration Friday to protest against old regime members being allowed to run in the parliamentary elections, slated to start late November. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The “Revolution Continues Alliance" has formed. The newly formed alliance consists of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party (SPA), the Egyptian Socialist Party, the Egyptian Current, whose members include ex-Muslim Brotherhood members, Amr Hamzawy's Freedom Egypt Party, Tayseer Fahmy's Equality and Development Party, the Revolution Youth Coalition and the Egyptian Alliance, and a new workers' party pending registration approval headed by Mohamed El-Jilany. | Al-Ahram

Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr met with Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Anders B. Johnson who is currently in Egypt. The minister reviewed the democratic transition in Egypt, parliamentary elections, writing a new constitution and electing a new president. | Egypt State Information Service

OCTOBER 21

The Muslim Brotherhood is willing to participate in a coalition government after next month's parliamentary elections, senior member Khairat El-Shater told Al-Jazeera on Wednesday. | Al-Ahram

A large number of former NDP members hope to exploit the fact that one-third of the seats in parliament will be contested using an individual candidacy system to stand as independents. According to official statistics by the Supreme Electoral Commission, some 4,000 would-be candidates had registered for upcoming parliamentary polls as of October 12. Semi-official statistics suggest that as many as 60 NDP-independents have registered their candidacies for upcoming elections thus far. Some are former NDP cabinet ministers, chairmen of parliamentary committees, or business tycoons. | Al-Ahram

El-Noor Party spokesperson Nader Bakr has said Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya’s political arm, the Building and Development Party (El-Benaa Wa El-Tanmia) and El-Asalaa Party are his side’s only two allies in the Islamist bloc that will take part in next month’s parliamentary elections. El-Fadila, El-Amal and Al-Tawheed Al-Arabi and Al-Wasat did not join the electoral lists of El-Noor. | Al-Ahram

OCTOBER 20

The Muslim Brotherhood is willing to participate in a coalition government after next month's parliamentary elections, senior member Khairat El-Shater told Al-Jazeera on Wednesday. | Al-Ahram

The Democratic Alliance has shrunk down to only 12 members. | Al-Ahram

The National Association for Change (NAC) launched an initiative consisting of eleven steps for the transition, starting with the armed forces immediately handing over power to a temporary "rescue" government with presidential powers, while the military manages the nation's external affairs, defense and national security until a new parliament is elected. | Al-Masry al-Youm

OCTOBER 19

The new Islamist alliance competing with the Muslim Brotherhood will be a force in the upcoming elections. The Salafi al-Nour Party is the leader of the alliance, however even moderate Islamist al-Wasat Party is considering possibly joining. Al-Nour stated their main difference with the Brotherhood was in foreign policy. | Al-Ahram

The deputy chairman of Egypt's ruling military council, Sami Anan, will meet five senior Coptic clerics on Wednesday to discuss the clashes that broke out at a Coptic protest on 9 October. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the Chief of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces SCAF has warned against the existence of destructive elements which are attempting to drive a wedge between the army and the people. | Egypt State Information Service

OCTOBER 18

The Higher Election Commission under Counselor Abdel-Moez Ibrahim approved the rules governing the election campaign for candidates in the parliamentary elections. Under the law, candidate will have the right to use any promotion medium for his/her electoral campaign, including visual, audio or printed media, and no candidate will be allowed to use promotion slogans that are based on religion or encourage discrimination. | Egypt State Information Service

Eighty-two percent of Al-Masry Al-Youm's online readers support barring elements linked to the previously-ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) from political activity, according to a new poll that ended Monday night. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Egypt's High Elections Commission announced that 3,204 candidates have registered for parliamentary elections since candidacy registration was opened six days ago. | al-Ahram

OCTOBER 17

The Democratic Alliance began crumbling this weekend as the Islamist al-Gama’a al-Islamiyah withdrew from the coalition along with the Salafi al-Asala Party. Both parties accused the Muslim Brotherhood of seeking to dominate the lists and not entering into the alliance in good faith. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The electoral commission has released its list of regulations governing elections. Candidates cannot spend more than LE 500,000 on campaigning in their districts, Ibrahim said, and are limited to LE250,000 during any run-off elections. All candidates will have equal air time on state TV. Candidates will not be able to use universities, places of worship, public spaces, public money, or religious slogans for their campaigns. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The country’s main secular coalition, dubbed the Egyptian Bloc, has yet to finalize its electoral list for parliamentary elections, scheduled to begin 28 November, as the candidate nomination process draws to a close. The Egyptian Bloc, which is now comprised of 18 secular parties, said in a statement that it was almost done with its final candidate lists, and that the bloc would contest 90 percent of the seats in both the People’s Assembly and the Shura Council. | Al-Masry al-Youm

OCTOBER 13

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party on Wednesday reiterated their call for the ruling military council to hand over power to an elected administration, saying they would like to see this accomplished through presidential elections to be held simultaneously with elections for the constituent assembly that will write Egypt's new constitution. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The head of Egypt's High Elections Commission said Thursday that 1,325 nominees submitted applications to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections on the first day of registration;97 nominees submitted applications for individual candidate seats for the Shura Council elections; and 1,228 for the People's Assembly. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The retrial date for detained blogger Maikel Nabil, accused of "insulting” Egypt’s armed forces, has been set for Tuesday, October 18, at Cairo's infamous C28 military court. | Al-Ahram

OCTOBER 12

The Muslim Brotherhood's leader is blaming remnants of the disbanded National Democratic Party for the violence that erupted during a Coptic protest Sunday, killing at least 26 and injuring more than 300. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Election committees nationwide began accepting nomination applications Wednesday for the 28 November parliamentary elections. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Salafi Nour Party has not chosen a slogan for upcoming parliamentary elections but it does not plan to use religious slogans for publicity, party spokesperson Yossury Hammad told state-run paper Al-Akhbar in an article published Wednesday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

OCTOBER 11

Egyptian state media has come under fire for what many considered to be distorted coverage of Sunday evening's bloody clashes that took place in Cairo’s Maspero district off Tahrir square between thousands of Coptic demonstrators and Muslim supporters. | Al-Ahram

Founder of the New Ghad Party Ayman Nour denied on Tuesday press reports that he will bow out of Egypt’s presidential race and support Mohamed ElBaradei. | Al-Masry al-Youm

A huge funeral sermon for the victims of Sunday’s deadly clashes between protesting Copts and their supporters ‎and military forces was held at Cairo’s Abbassiya Cathedral on Monday.| Al-Ahram

OCTOBER 7

The Free Egyptians Party called for a unified law regulating all places of worship equally in Egypt and for an antidiscrimination law and equal constitutional and civil rights for all citizens. | Al-Mogaz

Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, warned against attempts seeking to foment sedition or undermine Egypt's security and stability, saying the Egyptian people who rejected defeat and setback is capable of safely crossing this critical stage by preserving its national unity and seeking to build a modern civil state based on sound democratic foundations that would guarantee social justice and allow everyone to take part in the decision-making process. | Egypt State Information Service

Thousands of Upper Egypt’s tribes’ members, former loyalists and MPs of the dissolved National Democratic Party blasted the newly approved Treachery Law Wednesday night in a conference in the village of Nagaa Hammadi. They threatened to occupy Upper Egypt and prevent parliamentary elections taking place there if the law was enforced. | Al-Masry al-Youm

OCTOBER 6

Based on the new agreement between the SCAF and the 13 political parties, the road map will be as follows: the first session of the People's Assembly (the lower house of Parliament) will be held in the second half of January 2012; the Shura Council (the upper house) will hold its first session on March 24, 2012; then both councils will hold a joint session to elect members of a provisional assembly that will draw up a new constitution in late March or early April. | Al-Ahram

Wafd Party President Sayed al-Badawy and Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsy have decided that their respective parties will run in parliamentary elections on two separate and competing lists, according to Wafd sources.| al-Masry al-Youm

The head of Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, criticized what he called the "divergences of opinion and the voices questioning intentions" within the country. He made the comment in a speech marking the anniversary of Egypt's victory in the 1973 war against Israel, which is celebrated on October 6. | al-Masry al-Youm

OCTOBER 5

The government on Tuesday approved a draft law to cancel recently-approved restrictions on the way candidates run for parliamentary seats. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), denied Wednesday that the military intends to field candidates in upcoming presidential elections. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Not even Egypt’s interim military rulers know when they plan to relinquish power to a new civilian government says United States Ambassador to Egypt Anne W. Patterson. | New York Times

OCTOBER 4

Field-Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt’s ruling military council, met with Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Tuesday to discuss proposed changes to a controversial elections law. The two men discussed the possible abrogation of Article 5 of the law, as well as the reactivation of a “Treason Law” banning former members of the now-defunct National Democratic Party of ousted president Hosni Mubarak from participating in Egyptian political life for a five-year period. | Al-Ahram

Egypt’s interim Cabinet on Tuesday announced plans to implement a “Treason Law” aimed at banning anyone found guilty of “spoiling political life” during ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s reign—by, for example, participating in electoral fraud—from holding government posts or running in parliamentary elections. | Al-Ahram

A group of Coptic activists on Tuesday accused the cabinet and the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) of ignoring Coptic rights. | Al-Masry al-Youm

OCTOBER 3

After being heavily criticized for signing an agreement on Saturday with Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), political parties met with the council a second time on Sunday night to reiterate their demands including repealing the emergency law, and an implementation of a ban on former NDP members from running for office. In an effort to placate critics, Mohamed Morsy, leader of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) described Sunday’s meeting with the SCAF as “very successful,” citing several achievements. | Al-Ahram

Political parties and movements across the spectrum are deeply divided over the meeting on Saturday that gathered Armed Forces Chief of Staff Sami Anan, the second highest ranking member of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), with representatives of 15 out of 50 of Egypt's political parties. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Representatives of the liberal Wafd Party and the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, the two biggest players in the Democratic Alliance, butted heads on Sunday in a meeting to decide to what extent the two parties will abandon the alliance. Essam Shiha, a member of the Wafd’s high council, confirmed to Al-Masry Al-Youm that there would be no coordination between the Wafd and the Freedom and Justice Party in the list-based portion of the parliamentary elections, the initial reason for the alliance. | Al-Masry al-Youm

SEPTEMBER 30

The Salafi Scholars' Shura Council is considering fielding candidates in single-winner districts in the upcoming parliamentary elections, council head Gamal al-Marakby has said. | Al Masry al-Youm

A number of experts in Islamic affairs expect that the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party will not attain more than 25 percent of the seats in the upcoming parliament, since the recent passage of a new elections law banning members of political parties from running in single-winner electoral districts. | Al Masry al-Youm

The two major political blocs in Egypt, the Egyptian Bloc and the Democratic Alliance, have responded to the recently amended law on parliamentary elections in different ways. They both oppose the election law but the Democratic Alliance wants to boycott them while the Egypt Bloc refuses the boycott. | Al Masry al-Youm

SEPTEMBER 29

Democratic Coalition and Egyptian Bloc have both threatened to boycott the country’s first post-Mubarak parliamentary elections, following unpopular amendments to Egypt’s elections law by the ruling military council. | Al-Ahram

On Tuesday, Egyptians were presented with a new Parliamentary Elections Law. The debate over the nature of the law has been very heated, as some consider the upcoming parliamentary poll the most important of its kind in Egypt’s history. | Al-Ahram

Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi met Wednesday with a U.S. congressional delegation led by Representative David Dreier. | Egypt State Information Service

SEPTEMBER 28

"There is an agreement between the Muslim Brotherhood and Wafd Party stating that the Brotherhood would take over the legislative authority, while Wafd would lead the government,” said Montasser al-Zayyat, who is running for Lawyers Syndicate chief in elections slated for October. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Popular Alliance has now become the first new leftist party to reach official status since the January 25 Revolution. | Al-Ahram

The April 6 Movement announced in a press conference Wednesday that no one from the group will be running in the upcoming parliamentary elections. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 27

A complementary law—under the title of “the electoral districts law”—will soon be issued. The law will set the number of deputies elected in each district under the party-list system, taking into account key factors such as density of population and geographical size. | al-Ahram

The election for Egypt’s People’s Assembly, the lower house of parliament, will start on November 28, the state’s news agency MENA reported on Tuesday after state newspapers had previously said it would begin on November 21.| Al-Masry al-Youm

The new amendments to the electoral law, approved on Sunday by the military-backed cabinet, will enable Egypt’s military rulers to maintain their grip on the political process, blocking any chance of a solid parliamentary majority in upcoming elections, according to politicians. | Al-Masry al-Youm

SEPTEMBER 23

Egypt’s Islamist-leaning Freedom and Justice Party issued a statement on Thursday demanding that the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces issue a clear timeline for democratic transition in Egypt. | Al-Ahram

The April 6 Movement and the Democratic Front Party are calling for a protest on September 30 in Tahrir Square to end the emergency law. | Al-Ahram

An Egyptian youth coalition that played a major role in ousting President Hosni Mubarak has said it will field candidates for parliamentary elections to counter organized Islamist groups and remnants of the former regime. | Al-Masry al-Youm

SEPTEMBER 22

Mohamed ElBaradei will launch his presidential campaign officially Friday in his hometown of Ibyar in the Gharbia governorate. | al-Ahram

Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh on Wednesday said it was better for the Muslim Brotherhood, and religious groups in general, to stay away from politics and focus on religious activities. | al-Ahram

Chairman of the military judiciary authority Major General Adel El-Morsy has denied news appearing in a national newspaper on Wednesday that the state of emergency has been lifted. | Egypt State Information Service

SEPTEMBER 21

Nour Party President Emad Eddin Abdel Ghafour expects the Democratic Coalition to disintegrate. “It will shrink into four parties only," he predicted. Adel Afify, president of the Salafi-led Asala Party, said his party will soon decide whether to join the Democratic Coalition or run as part of Nour’s Islamist coalition. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Revolution Youth Coalition (RYC) on Wednesday announced it would participate in upcoming parliamentary elections. In a press conference held at the Syndicate of Journalists in Cairo, the coalition said it had a list of 200 candidates that covers all Egyptian governorates. | Al-Ahram

Presidential candidate Selim al-Awa has called on the military council not to extend the transition period after February, and to hold the parliamentary elections as scheduled. | Al-Masry al-Youm

SEPTEMBER 20

Egypt’s ruling military council is in a dilemma over the adoption of the proportional list electoral system—described by experts as contradicting the transitional constitution—making a confrontation with the political groups that have proposed it more likely. | Egyptian Gazette

Egypt will start parliamentary elections on November 21. Voting for the lower house, the People’s Assembly, will be held in three stages starting on November 21 and ending on January 3. Voting for the upper house, the Shura Council, will begin on January 22, 2012, and finish on March 4, said Egypt’s election head, Moez Ibrahim. | Reuters

Tareq al-Zumor, head of al-Gama’a Islamiya, lashed out against the Egyptian electoral commission for denying his party a license based upon its desire to implement hudud criminal punishments. Al-Zumor noted that the High Constitutional Court had already ruled that such punishments are permitted in Egyptian law in interpreting Article 2 of the constitution. The Salafi Nour Party, which received license, does not refer to hudud in its platform. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 19

The Political Parties Affairs Committee on Monday rejected the establishment of Jama’a al-Islamiya’s “Construction and Development Party” for its “purely religious” platform, which violates the law on political parties. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Lt. General Sami Anan met with 47 political parties in an attempt to reach an agreement on a date for elections. | Egypt State Information Service

Egypt’s ruling military council, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), has approved a draft proposal from the Supreme Elections Committee that designates September 26 as the opening date for accepting candidacy applications for Parliamentary and Upper House (Shura Council) elections. | al-Ahram

If parliamentary elections are to be held in mid-November, the diehards of ousted President Hosni Mubarak’s long-ruling, but now defunct, National Democratic Party (NDP) promise to be a major force. Not only have a large number of its members joined several of the newly formed political parties, but many also seek to form a strong alliance in a face-off with Islamists and other political forces in the upcoming elections. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 16

Israel’s foreign ministry called in the Egyptian ambassador on Friday to stress the importance of the two countries’ historic peace accord, an Israeli official said, after Egypt’s prime minister said the treaty was not “sacred.” | Al-Masry al-Youm

A group of Salafis has launched the Islah Party, the fourth political party to be formed by Salafis since the January 25 revolution, according to a party spokesperson. The other three Salafi parties are Nour, Asala, and Fadila. Islah Party spokesperson Essam Abdel Baset said that the party will rely on al-Azhar scholars rather than Salafi sheikhs. The party spokesman said he hoped to unify all Salafi parties into one strong party. | Al-Masry al-Youm

“The military council will bear the anger of the people if it postpones the parliamentary elections,” Nader Bakkar, spokesperson for the Salafi Nour Party, said. | Al-Masry al-Youm

SEPTEMBER 15

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party said late Wednesday it will not take part in next Friday’s planned demonstrations, which have been called for by a number of revolutionary groups to protest the broadening of the controversial Emergency Law. | Al-Masry al-Youm

At a conference organized by the Muslim Brotherhood on Tuesday, the Brotherhood announced it considers September 27 as the date when the legitimacy of the transitional period ends. He also accused what he described as “remnants of the former regime” of spreading chaos in an attempt to delay the upcoming parliamentary elections and extend military rule. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The April 6 Movement-the Democratic Front have held the first internal elections since the youth movement was established in 2008. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 14

Egypt’s most powerful Islamist group warned Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday that his country should not seek to dominate the Middle East despite his enthusiastic welcome at the start of a regional tour. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party concluded a closed conference Tuesday by warning the ruling military council against issuing general constitutional principles. | Al-Masry al-Youm

A dozen supporters of Omar Abdel Rahman gathered outside the Police Academy on Wednesday to call for his release from prison in the United States. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 13

Egyptian alliances are beginning to form as parliamentary elections become closer, with the major competitors being the Egypt Bloc, the Democratic Alliance, and a “Third Way” list that is starting to take shape. Yet all three alliances are showing some internal tensions already. | Al-Ahram

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday called on Egyptians to adopt a secular constitution, noting that secularism does not mean renouncing religion. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Presidential hopeful Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh on Monday called for political forces to organize popular committees on the streets to restore security, if the government is unable to gain security control within ten days. | Al-Masry al-Youm

SEPTEMBER 12

The General Committee for Human Rights (GCHR), an affiliate of the Lawyers’ Syndicate, has denounced the authority’s recent reactions to Friday’s controversial attacks on the Israeli and Saudi embassies as well as the Giza security headquarters, pointing especially to the reactivation of the contentious emergency law. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Egypt's military rulers outlined on Sunday new areas where they would use long-standing emergency laws, citing activities such as blocking roads, publishing false information and weapons possession, the state news agency said. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The April 6 Youth Movement threatened on Thursday to go to court against what it called the “illegal” decisions, Information Minister Osama Heikal announced Wednesday. | Al Masry al-Youm

SEPTEMBER 7

The new law regulating electoral constituencies soon to be announced by Egypt’s military rulers—in which electoral constituencies are larger with higher populations—will favor Islamist parties, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, say experts. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya announced that it would take no part in Friday’s mass protest in Tahrir Square, out of fear the demonstrations could turn into a rowdy spectacle. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Members in the Egyptian Bloc alliance, the Third Way List alliance, and the Democratic Alliance for Egypt, as well as other political parties and public personalities, have begun negotiations on a possible electoral alliance for parliamentary elections likely to be held before the end of the year. | Al-Ahram

SEPTEMBER 6

An election law scheduled for review by Egypt's ruling military council will lead to an “unrepresentative parliament,” presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei said Tuesday. The law stipulates that half of parliamentary members should be elected through a single-winner system, while the other half would run through a list-based candidacy system. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Revolution Youth Union called on the ministry of interior and military police to withdraw all security personnel deployed in Tahrir Square ahead of Friday’s planned protests in order to avoid possible “bloodshed.” | Al-Ahram

The general secretary of the Freedom and Justice Party, Saad El-Kataneny, announced that the party, which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, was not going to participate in the million-man protest to be held on September 9 in Tahrir Square. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 31

In an interview published Wednesday, Egyptian presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei criticized the ruling army’s refusal to allow foreign monitoring of forthcoming elections and its subjection of civilians to military trials. | Al-Ahram; Al-Arabiya

Two revolutionary groups on Monday renewed calls for participation in planned nationwide demonstrations on September 9. The Coalition of Revolutionary Powers and the Youth of the Second Revolution of Anger issued a statement calling for the demonstrations, named “The Friday for Correcting the Path,” to demand the handover of power to a civilian authority. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The family of Mikail Nabil Sanad, accompanied by human rights activists, organized a protest outside the Ministry of Defense on Monday. The protesters demanded his release and equal treatment for all political prisoners who were tried in military courts by the military. | Bikya Masr

AUGUST 30

Muslim Brotherhood preachers use their Eid prayer sermons to call for a quick handover of power to a civil government and urge people not to allow March’s constitutional referendum results to be undermined. | Al-Ahram

An Egyptian revolutionary group on Monday called for a massive demonstration on September 9 in Tahrir Square. The protest will voice a number of demands, including changing the election law, halting military tribunals of civilians, announcing a schedule to hand power over to an elected civilian government, and revoking the anti-protest law, which incriminates strikes and demonstrations. | Egypt State Information Service

Dozens of activists on Tuesday demonstrated in Tahrir Square to call on Egypt’s ruling military council to fulfill the demands of the January 25 revolution, including implementing a civil state. | Al-Masry al-Youm

AUGUST 29

A Catholic official expressed fear about Islamists assuming power as Egypt transitions from military to civilian rule. During an annual meeting in Italy, Cardinal Antonios Naguib, patriarch of the Catholic Church in Alexandria, said he was concerned about minorities' rights after the January 25 revolution. | Al-Masry al-Youm

An Egyptian revolutionary group on Monday called for a massive demonstration on Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square. In a post on its Facebook page, the Revolution Youth Coalition urged Egyptians to participate. | Al-Masry al-Youm

A deadly attack on Israel from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula has sparked calls to raise the number of Egyptian troops allowed in the area under the historic peace treaty with Israel, to counter a surge in Islamist militant activity.| Al-Masry al-Youm

AUGUST 26

The Al Masreyeen Al Ahrar (Free Egyptians) party, founded after president Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a popular uprising in February, said it had reached a milestone figure of 100,000 members, making it the largest party after the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's best organized political force. | Al-Masry al-Youm

About 50,650,000 Egyptian citizens will be eligible to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Hundreds of Egyptians protested Friday in front of the Israeli Embassy in Cairo to demand the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador. | Al-Masry al-Youm

AUGUST 24

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf discussed at a meeting with 14 politicians representing different political powers how to reach a consensus on the constitutional principles. The meeting was attended by Deputy Premier Ali Al-Selmi. The Salafi and Al-Nour Party boycotted the meeting as they object in principle the introduction of supra constitutional principles. | Egypt State Information Service

Liberal presidential hopeful Ayman Nour reversed on Tuesday his support for writing the constitution ahead of elections. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Egypt’s foreign minister, Mohammed Amr, said Monday that the plan to recall the nation’s ambassador to Israel “was never on the table,” confirming the government’s decision to disavow a threat that generated widespread popular support at home but brought the government under intense diplomatic pressure to back off. | New York Times

AUGUST 23

A bill on constitutional principles will be issued soon, Deputy Prime Minister for Political Development Ali el-Selmi has said, noting that it reflects aspirations of the Egyptian people following the January 25 Revolution. The principles are derived from international constitutions and human rights declarations, Selmi said. | Egypt State Information Service

Some Egyptian political parties – including al-Wasat, the Socialist Nationalist Party, and the Egyptian Reform Party – called for reviewing and amending the Israel-Egypt peace treaty. | Egypt State Information Service

An Egyptian human rights group on Tuesday urged the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to intervene for the release of three Egyptian Bedouin minors being held in an Israeli prison. | Al-Masry al-Youm

AUGUST 22

The Democratic Alliance, the electoral list which includes the Muslim Brotherhood, has announced they will run for all parliamentary seats in the upcoming election instead of half as the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party had previously stated. The liberal Egypt Bloc has also decided to run for all parliamentary seats. | al-Masrawy; Daily News Egypt; Bikya Masr

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr met with a U.S. official on Monday to discuss Middle East developments, particularly the crisis between Egypt and Israel triggered after six Egyptians were killed by Israeli forces Thursday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Egypt and Israel sought on Sunday to defuse a diplomatic crisis over the killing of five Egyptian security personnel during an Israeli operation against cross-border raiders, as crowds of Egyptians protested angrily at the Israeli Embassy in Cairo. One demonstrator scaled several floors of the high-rise embassy building overnight to tear down the Israeli flag and replace it with an Egyptian one. | Al-Masry al-Youm

AUGUST 19

An Egyptian Interior Ministry official says five Egyptian security personnel were killed when Israeli soldiers were pursuing Gaza militants after a bloody attack along the border in the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt lodged a formal protest to Israel on Friday and demanded an investigation into the deaths. | al-Masry al-Youm; al-Masry al-Youm

Presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei on Friday called for the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to clarify what is happening in the reportedly ongoing clashes between Egyptian and Israeli soldiers in Sinai, eschewing the populist calls by other presidential candidates for a strong military response against Israel. | al-Masry al-Youm

The Muslim Brotherhood accused the U.S. Ambassador Ann Patterson of funding political parties in Egypt through NGOs and condemned her. | al-Ahram

AUGUST 18

Amr Moussa, Hazem Abu Ismail and Hamdeen Sabbahi all attended a meeting, along with most Egyptian political parties and movements, at al-Azhar, attempting to bridge the gaps on disputes over supra-constitutional principles. Islamist and secular groups endorsed a document issued by Al-Azhar earlier this summer at the meeting affirming that Egypt’s new political system should be democratic but they disagreed over whether to make the document binding on the architects of the first post-Mubarak constitution.| Al-Masry al-Youm

A self-appointed popular committee concerned with the process of drafting a new constitution is calling on Islamist groups to support the cabinet's proposed constitutional principles document, previously announced by Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmy. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Egyptian troops and policemen battled with gunmen in the Sinai peninsula Monday, killing one person and arresting 16 others, a security official and state television said. | al-Ahram

AUGUST 17

Representatives of liberal and Islamist parties reached an agreement on a statement of general principles for the upcoming constitution, after a meeting on Tuesday night. | Al-Ahram

The United States may lose its chance to reshape the politics of the Middle East if budget pressures hobble US support for democratic forces emerging in countries such as Egypt and Tunisia, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Muslim Brotherhood, Amr Moussa, Salim al-Awa, and Ayman Nour all have agreed upon the importance of al-Azhar’s document laying out principles for a democratic state in Egypt. | Al-Shorouk

AUGUST 16

The Democratic Alliance for Egypt, a massive political coalition formed in early June to heal the rift between Islamists and secularists, may be on the verge of falling apart, with ideological differences proving too large to overcome. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The recent Muslim Brotherhood statement demanding that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) refrain from interfering in how the constitution is drawn up could mean the end of the honeymoon period between the military and the country's largest Islamist group, according to some political analysts.| Al-Masry al-Youm

Salafi Islamist presidential hopeful Hazem Abu Ismail on Monday condemned the referral of civilians to military courts. | Al-Masry al-Youm

AUGUST 15

The case against ousted president Hosni Mubarak and former interior ‎‎minister Habib El-Adly for killing protesters during the eighteen-day uprising were merged. | Al-Ahram

The Democratic Coalition for Egypt, which includes 34 parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood and the Wafd (Delegation), have made a statement objecting to the supra constitutional "guiding principles," proposed by the Cabinet late Sunday.| Al-Ahram

A coalition of Islamic groups issued a statement on Monday refusing supra-constitutional principles. The Islamic Forces Coalition said issuing the principles would provoke Egyptians and violate their will. | al-Masry al-Youm

AUGUST 11

Islamist movements and parties are threatening to take to the streets if the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) approves a document that will impose guidelines for drafting a new constitution. | Al-Masry al-Youm; Reuters

The Obama administration on Wednesday expressed concern about a “creeping” trend of anti-American sentiment in Egypt, where it says it has noticed mounting attacks and criticism of U.S. aid and motives as the country transitions to democracy. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Egypt has begun procedures to end the country’s three-decade-old state of emergency. | Reuters

AUGUST 10

A new constitutional declaration might be issued before parliamentary elections if public opinion reaches a consensus on it, Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmy said Tuesday. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei on Tuesday said he met with representatives of Egypt’s disabled community in what was perceived as an effort to garner the support of disabled voters. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The National Association for Change, The Adl (Justice) Party, the ElBaradei support campaign, The Egyptian Democratic Social Party, The Ghad Party’s “Ayman Nour Front,” and the Egyptian Communist Party are calling for a week-long delay to this Friday’s “For the love of Egypt” march. | al-Ahram

AUGUST 9

Sufi groups met with Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to discuss the million man march planned in Tahrir Square on Friday opposing radical Islamists. The march is being supported by the Sufi movements and a number of pro-democracy political parties and movements, like the National Association for Change, Kefaya, the April 6 Youth Movement, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, and the Egyptian Tahrir Party. | Al-Ahram

Al-Qaeda’s new leader has accused the United States of hijacking Egypt’s popular uprising to preserve its interests in the Middle East. | Al-Masry al-Youm

AUGUST 8

Egypt’s liberal Wafd Party said on Sunday it may quit an alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood, highlighting growing tensions between liberals and Islamists over their vision for a Muslim-majority Egypt.| Al-Ahram

Sheikh Mofamed Abdel Khaleq El-Shabrawi, the leader of the Shabrawia Order—one of the largest Sufi spiritual orders in Egypt—said that Sufis are planning a massive rally on August 12 in Cairo to call for national unity and a civil state. | Al-Ahram

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood held its first election in the movement’s eighty-three-year history, selecting three figures to fill seats on its governing guidance bureau. | Irish Times

AUGUST 5

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Thursday ordered the dissolution of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF), pending the election of a new committee to represent 2.5 million workers who comprise the ETUF’s membership.| Al-Masry al-Youm

The Muslim Brotherhood is holding its first public elections to replace three Guidance Bureau members who had resigned in order to join the group’s Freedom and Justice Party. The Guidance Bureau comprises the group’s leadership.| Al-Masry al-Youm

In Alexandria, greater division within the April 6 Movement saw members of the “Ahmed Maher” front switching to the “democratic front” of the same movement. In a statement released to the press on Friday, the members complained of lack of transparency and democracy and personal rather than ethical motives. | Al-Ahram

AUGUST 4

Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed al-Qattan said Wednesday that his country has not demanded amnesty for former President Hosni Mubarak, who is currently standing trial in Cairo, accused of killing protesters during the January 25 revolution. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Muslim Brotherhood has called on its supporters in Egypt and other countries to show solidarity with Arabs demonstrating across the region. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The headquarters of the Arab League in downtown Cairo was attacked Thursday morning with Molotov cocktails.| Al-Masry al-Youm

AUGUST 3

Mohamed ElBaradei reversed his stance and said he is not against holding elections before a constitution is drafted. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Deposed President Hosni Mubarak made his first public appearance since February 10 on Wednesday morning as a defendant in a much-anticipated trial on charges of corruption and killing protesters during the uprising that led to his downfall. Jama’a al-Islamiya objected to the live broadcast of Mubarak’s trial. Conversely, the January 25 Revolution Youth Coalition erected a large screen in front of the attorney general’s office at the High Court of Justice downtown to broadcast the trial. | Al-Masry al-Youm; Al-Masry al-Youm

JULY 29

Thousands of Islamists flocked to Tahrir Square on Thursday night to take part in the protest called the "Friday of Popular Will," setting up a large podium in the square. Protesters called for religious law and against a bill of rights. | Al-Masry al-Youm; Voice of America

The Egyptian people will not accept a state governed by religion, military officers claimed on Friday.| Al-Masry al-Youm

A new poll by Newsweek found most Egyptians unsure of whom to vote for in parliamentary elections, with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party receiving a plurality of the vote. Amr Moussa is in the lead for presidential elections. | The Daily Beast

JULY 28

Foreign groups are meddling in Egypt and stirring up unrest, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) said on Wednesday, days after protesters marched to the Defense Ministry to urge their military rulers to speed up reforms. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Presidential hopeful and reform advocate Mohamed Elbaradei is re-emphasizing the need for international oversight of parliamentary elections, expected to be held in November. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Egyptian government on Wednesday said it would announce a list of officials accused of corrupting the country’s political and administrative systems under ousted President Hosni Mubarak. | Al-Masry al-Youm

JULY 27

Egypt’s High Elections Commission will completely supervise parliamentary elections and draft voter lists based on ID card information, said Abdel Moez Ibrahim, head of the commission. Parliamentary elections set for November will be different from previous elections because they will include a combination of a candidate-based, winner-take-all system and a list-based system. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Mohamed ElBaradei called Tuesday for the formation of a broad coalition of political forces, including Islamists, to contest the first elections since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Both the Salafis and the Gama’a al-Islamiya announced they will form their own parties and compete in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Formerly, the Salafis maintained that they were forbidden from participating in politics and creating political parties; this is a change in their stance. | Al-Ahram

JULY 26

General Mohammed Al-Assar, an influential member of Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), said the group’s role will not be decided by the military themselves but “by the Egyptian constitution,” to be drafted after the election of a new parliament later this year. | Al-Ahram; Interpress News Service

Twenty-one political groups, which are currently participating in the Tahrir Square sit-in, released a statement on Monday condemning the violence that took place in Cairo’s Abbassiya district, when thousands of demonstrators were attacked as they were marching toward the military council headquarters.| Al-Ahram

A new poll by Newsweek found that only 17 percent of Egyptians supported the Muslim Brotherhood and 27 percent said that a Muslim Brotherhood majority would be a good thing. | Newsweek

JULY 25

Nearly five thousand demonstrators gathered for prayer in Cairo's Tahrir Square Friday ahead of a planned protest, after a cabinet reshuffle failed to convince them to end their sit-in. Demonstrators chanted against military rule. | Al-Masry al-Youm

In his speech to mark the anniversary of the 1952 revolution, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi said his mandate was to deliver an elected government to Egypt. He stressed that SCAF was “moving forward on the path to entrenching democracy that upholds freedoms and the rights of citizens through free and fair elections.” He also noted that Egypt would abide by the treaty with Israel. | Al Arabiya; UPI

On Sunday, clashes erupted again in Abbasiya, Cairo, near the headquarters of the ruling military council, as political forces of the January 25 Revolution tried to reach the site to stage a protest. The marchers were attacked from side streets and rooftops by people throwing stones, empty bottles, and glass while the army fired shots in the air. The Muslim Brotherhood condemned the clashes.| Al-Ahram; Al-Masry al-Youm

JULY 22

JULY 21

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) announced that foreign election monitors will not be allowed in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The new election law also lowers the age to run for a seat in the lower house from thirty years old to twenty-five. Voting would take place over three rounds, with fifteen days between each round, and would be based on a mixed system combining a party list and a single-seat system.| Daily News Egypt; AFP

Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, head of SCAF, held a meeting with the newly appointed government, led by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, after the official swearing-in ceremony. More than half of the ministers have been changed, including the foreign, finance, and trade ministers, and some of those removed were appointed by former President Hosni Mubarak. Interior Minister Mansour el-Essawy keeps his post. | Al-Ahram; Reuters

The Muslim Brotherhood has officially rejected attempts to formalize a bill of rights for all Egyptians. It stated that the winner of the election should not be bound by documents written by unelected elites and called for a million man march in Tahrir Square next Friday to oppose the measure. | Al-Ahram

JULY 20

A committee tapped by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to propose principles for a new constitution has unexpectedly declined to include any provision about the role of the military in rejecting public suggestions by both committee members and top military officers to grant the military a broad, protected role in the future government. | New York Times

Presidential candidate Mohamed El-Baradei said that the usage of all religious campaign slogans, including the Muslim Brotherhood’s famous “Islam is the answer,” must be eliminated before the upcoming parliamentary elections. | Al Masry al-Youm

The swearing-in ceremony of Egypt’s newly reconfigured cabinet was delayed for a second time on Tuesday. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said the cabinet reshuffle should be concluded by Thursday, as there are only two ministries left to fill: commerce and artifacts. | Al Masry al-Youm; Jerusalem Post

JULY 19

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), in a military decree, appointed the head of Cairo’s appeals court as the head of an electoral commission, which begins work on September 18. The decree set the date of elections expected to follow roughly two months later in November. Elections will be fully independent and the Ministry of Interior will have no hand or say in the process from beginning to end.| Al-Masry al-Youm; Bikya Masr

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf’s cabinet reshuffle will be dominated by liberals and secular figures, especially the Wafd Party, which received the lion’s share of posts. The appointment of liberal faces in key posts was generally welcomed by the youth movements of the January 25 revolution.| Al Masry al-Youm

Economic growth may slow to 1.6 percent, failing to meet the government’s growth target. Slower growth and a widening budget deficit may also imperil Egypt’s credit rating. | Bloomberg

JULY 18

On Monday, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf reshuffled fourteen cabinet posts, including the key foreign and finance portfolios. The reshuffle, however, did not include the ministers of justice, interior, electricity, international cooperation, education, petrol, culture, environment, tourism, manpower, or social solidarity. Tahrir Square protesters are not satisfied with this concession because of the failure to discharge the ministers of justice and the interior. | Al-Ahram

Mohamed El-Baradei stated that a cabinet reshuffle was not enough and said instead a clear roadmap with specific milestones was necessary during the political transition. He held a two-hour meeting with the Muslim Brotherhood, during which they agreed on criteria for selecting members to a panel who will write the new constitution, including that the panel will not reflect the parliamentary majority.| Al-Masry al-Youm; Al-Masry al-Youm

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is beginning to signal that they desire a special role for themselves in the new constitution. Proposals floated by military officials include keeping the military independent of funding and of parliament and the president. Osama Ghazali Harb, charged by the military to draft constitutional principles, sees Islamists as a bigger threat than the military and favors granting them a constitutional role for preserving “democratic stability.” | Washington Post

JULY 14

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf is considering appointing a deputy minister to represent youth for each cabinet minister in the new government, in a bid to appease protesters. Mohamed Adel of the April 6 Youth movement is preparing to present a list to Sharaf on suggested names for the cabinet reshuffle. The movement wants to remove all cabinet ministers with ties to the Mubarak regime. | Al-Masry Al-Youm; Al-Ahram

The official website of the Muslim Brotherhood lashed out at the Tahrir Square protesters, accusing them of being infiltrated by the former ruling National Democratic Party and “Zionist infiltrators” and attempting to destabilize the country. While the Brotherhood participated in the sit-in protest, which began on July 8, they decided not to participate in continuing protests. The Brotherhood noted that the United States and Israel were working for the derailment of Egypt’s revolution. | Al-Masry Al-Youm

An official military source confirmed to al-Ahram that parliamentary elections would be held in October or November, fulfilling the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF)’s promise to commence the election process within six months. He noted that elections would be held not less than 30 days after pre-election procedures in September, and that the exact date would depend on the security situation and the timing of Islamic holidays.| Al-Ahram

JULY 13

Sources close to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) indicated that parliamentary elections would be delayed until November, with candidate registration starting in September. The source reaffirmed the military’s commitment to handing over power to civilians. | Al-Masry Al-Youm

Former Deputy Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Habib resigned from the Brotherhood to join the Islamist Nahda Party. Habib has planned to resign since 2009 due to disagreements within the organization, but he did not submit an official resignation before today. | Al-Masry Al-Youm

The Ministry of Interior dismissed over 500 generals and 82 brigadiers, and announced it would reshuffle 4,000 other officers in a move to appease protesters and mitigate recent unrest.| Ash-Shorouk

JULY 12

In response to protestors’ calls for the resignation of the head of Egypt’s ruling military body, General Mohsen El-Fangari, speaking on behalf of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), broke days of silence to announce the military’s willingness to take “all necessary measures” to defeat any attempts to undermine the authority of the government. The SCAF remains committed to the drafting of a constitution and working toward presidential elections and will not cede control. | Washington Post

In response to demands from protestors in Tahrir Square, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf promised a complete reshuffle of the cabinet by July 17 and further promised to resign if he was unable to meet his commitments. | Daily News Egypt

A Egyptian pipeline supplying gas to Israel and Jordan was hit by an explosion for the second time this month. No groups have claimed responsibility. | BBC

JULY 7

The interim cabinet approved the final draft laws on parliamentary elections, which will adopt a hybrid individual and proportional list system, making it difficult for any party to hold a clear majority. The laws set the number of seats in the lower house at 500, and half of the seats will be allocated to workers and peasants. Women must be listed in the top half of the candidates list, and age eligibility for candidates is lowered to 25 years old. | Al Jazeera; Reuters

The Muslim Brotherhood announced it would join the “Persistence Friday” protests despite its earlier refusal to participate in the rally because of disagreements with protesters’ “constitution first” demands. Other figures who also expressed support for the demonstrations are former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who warned protesters against divisions. The March 9 University Professors movement announced it would also join the demonstrations on July 8. | Al-Ahram (1); (2); (3)

Hundreds of protesters and families of victims of the revolution clashed with police in Suez when a court rejected the attorney general’s appeal of the decision to release police officers accused of killing demonstrators during the revolution. The government, in response, announced it would remove senior police officers involved in the crackdowns on protesters during the revolution in order to alleviate recent tension over the handling of trials of perpetrators who attacked the protesters. | Al-Masry Al-Youm; Reuters

JULY 6

The public prosecutor appealed the Suez Criminal Court’s order to release fourteen defendants, who were accused of killing protesters in Suez during the revolution, on bail until their trials; however, a Cairo court denied the appeal. Foreign Minister Mohamed al-Orabi, meanwhile, defended the integrity of the judiciary and insisted that trials of former officials were going well amid growing anger at the courts’ decisions. | Al-Masry Al-Youm (1); (2)

The Coalition of Salafi Youth announced it would participate in the “Persistence Friday” protests, but it refused to let the demonstrations be used to demand the formation of a civil committee to draft a new constitution before the elections. The coalition condemned the recent release and exoneration of former regime officials, and said that their trials lacked transparency. Islamist participation in the protests appeared to also be split with the Jama’a al-Islamiyah refusing to take part. | Al-Ahram

The Egyptian Central Bank lifted the asset freeze on several political and business figures after they were investigated for involvement in corruption cases. | Asharq al-Awsat

JULY 5

Three former ministers were acquitted of charges of squandering public funds. Former ministers of finance, information, and housing, Youssef Boutros-Ghali, Anas al-Fiqqi and Ahmed al-Maghrabi, respectively, all faced charges of spending money for publicity campaigns for the dissolved National Democratic Party in the 2010 elections and selling state-owned land at a lower price than its value. The public prosecutor appealed the court decision. | Al-Masry Al-Youm; Al-Ahram

Sources close to the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) have not confirmed the postponement of parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said that parliamentary elections will take place in late September as scheduled, despite his recommendations and the request by several new political parties to delay the vote to give them a chance to compete against the Muslim Brotherhood and former ruling party remnants. | Al-Masry Al-Youm; Ash-shorouk

The cabinet approved two new laws that will regulate the upcoming parliamentary elections. The laws introduce a mixed system of individual candidacy and party-list proportional representation. They also lower the age of eligible candidates to twenty-five and stipulate that every list must have one woman, whose name must appear in the first half of the list. The SCAF will meet with several parties from the National Democratic Alliance, composed of eighteen political parties that include the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party and the Wafd Party, to discuss the draft law on parliamentary elections. | Al-Masry Al-Youm (1); (2); Al-Ahram

JULY 1

Protesters gathered in Tahrir Square to demonstrate in the “Friday of Retribution” to push for faster reforms after a week of clashes between demonstrators and security forces. They demanded the trial of forces involved in abuse during and after the revolution, an end to military trials of civilians, an inclusive political process, and freedom of press and expression. | AFP

The Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) announced the creation of a fund, headed by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, dedicated to “social and medical aid” for victims of the revolution. An investigative commission reported in April that 846 civilians were killed and 6,500 others were injured during the eighteen-day uprising. | Al-Masry Al-Youm

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Freedom Party expressed support for a delay in the parliamentary elections scheduled for September until the security situation is stabilized, and to allow new parties to prepare for a fair election. A supreme committee of 50 members now heads the party until the elections for the party’s president and secretariat are held. | Al-Masry Al-Youm

JUNE 30

Numerous parties and revolutionary coalitions, including April 6, Kefaya, the Second Day of Rage Facebook movement, and the Coalition of the Youth Revolution, have called for massive demonstrations on July 1 and July 8 to protest the interim government’s handling of the political transition and demand the removal of human rights violators from the Interior Ministry, in the aftermath of the June 28 security crackdown on protesters in Tahrir Square. | Al-Youm al-Saba'a; Al-Masry al-Youm

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton revealed that the administration has decided to pursue “limited contacts” with the Muslim Brotherhood. The United States has maintained informal channels of communication with the Brotherhood since 2006 by engaging with Brotherhood members of parliament who won seats as independents, but U.S. officials will now deal directly with low-level Brotherhood party officials. | Reuters

Prominent political figures including presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh have demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Mansour al-Eissawi in response to the June 28 crackdown on protesters. Both the cabinet and Interior Ministry issued statements denying rumors of al-Eissawi’s resignation, saying these false reports were intended to undermine Egypt’s stability. | Al-Ahram, Al-Youm al-Saba’a

JUNE 29

At least 2,000 protesters have gathered in Tahrir Square following violent overnight clashes between families of Egyptians killed during the revolution and police. Fighting escalated in front of the Interior Ministry as well as the Balloon Theatre in Agouza on the night of June 28, where police fired rubber bullets in addition to tear gas and tanks in an effort to disperse the crowd. At least 590 people have been injured, according to the Ministry of Health. | Al-Masry al-Youm; Al-Ahram; Al-Shorouk

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) issued its sixty-fifth communiqué, describing the latest protests as “destabilizing to the safety and security” of the nation. The SCAF also claimed that the incident was the result of an “organized and premeditated plan exploiting the blood of the revolution’s martyrs to drive a wedge between the revolutionaries and the national security forces.” | SCAF Facebook page

The April 6 Youth Movement and the campaign of presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi announced that they will participate in an open-ended sit-in in Tahrir Square to protest the use of violence against protesters. The April 6 movement is moving up the date of a protest previously planned for July 8 to June 30, in response to the latest security crackdown. | Al-Ahram; Al-Shorouk; Al-Masry al-Youm

JUNE 28

Several youth groups are planning a “final warning” march on the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) headquarters for July 5 to present several demands, including compensation for those injured during the revolution, the release of all political prisoners, expediting former President Hosni Mubarak’s trial, and banning former National Democratic Party (NDP) members from engaging in politics for a five-year period. The youth groups are also backing a separate demonstration planned for July 8 to demand that the constitution be written before parliamentary elections. | Al-Masry al-Youm

A Cairo administrative court ruled to dissolve municipal councils elected under Mubarak’s regime. According to some estimates, former NDP members control 98 percent of the country’s estimated 1,750 municipal councils. | Reuters

According to the National Wages Council, the interim government plans to implement austerity measures to avoid foreign loans, and the council warned that such measures—possibly including a maximum wage—would adversely affect the labor market and unemployment rate. | Al-Masry al-Youm

JUNE 27

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) has threatened to “confront” the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) if the ruling military council acquiesces to public pressure to draft a new constitution before parliamentary elections. The FJP’s deputy chairman, Essam al-Arian, accused the Constitution First movement of subverting the popular will by seeking to modify the “clear road map” for transition that was overwhelmingly approved by the March constitutional referendum. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Mohammed ElBaradei has released the final text of his proposed bill of rights, which he aims to incorporate into Egypt’s new constitution after public debate. The document calls for a democratic republic built on the principle of equal citizenship, but also preserves the role of Islam as the official state religion and identifies Sharia law as “the primary source of legislation.” | Al-Masry al-Youm, Al-Ahram

Scores of family members of protesters killed during the uprising clashed with security forces outside of the Cairo courthouse after learning that the trial of former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly had been adjourned until July 25. Al-Adly and seven of his aides are being charged for their alleged roles in the shooting of protesters. | Al-Masry al-Youm, LA Times

JUNE 24

Activists are calling for a mass demonstration on July 8 to “save the revolution” from an interim government that continues to resist some of their key demands, including guarantees for freedom of expression, the public prosecution of former regime officials, and an end to military trials of civilians. Protest organizers claim to have mobilized 55,000 supporters on their official Facebook page. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Amid concerns the Muslim Brotherhood and other groups would oppose the separation of religion and politics in Egypt’s next government, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) issued its sixty-fourth communiqué on the council’s official Facebook page, expressing support for a “civil state built on a democratic foundation to achieve freedom and social justice.” | Facebook

Members of the Revolution of the Youth Coalition rallied in Tahrir Square, where they displayed “yellow cards” signifying their disapproval of the cabinet’s handling of the transition process, one day after Prime Minister Essam Sharaf gave a major speech defending the government’s performance. | Al-Youm al-Saba’a

JUNE 23

In a major speech assessing the performance of his cabinet in its first 100 days, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf defended the government’s handling of the political transition, saying that his cabinet “inherited problems that are deeply entrenched at the institutional level, which must be addressed at their roots.” | Al-Masry al-Youm

The cabinet approved a budget of LE 490.6 billion for fiscal 2011-2012, which significantly boosts spending on social programs. Finance Minister Samir Radwan said the new budget reflects two priorities recognized by the interim government and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF): increasing spending on social welfare and human development and minimizing external borrowing. | Washington Post

SCAF leader Mohamed Hussein Tantawi and Sharaf received recommendations from several committees at the government-sponsored National Consensus Conference calling for the abolition of military courts, a constitutional provision subjecting the Interior Ministry to civilian oversight, and provisions for popular oversight of the national police force through the formation of a parliamentary commission or office to review citizens’ complaints. | Al-Youm al-Saba’a

JUNE 22

In a clarifying statement, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf denied any intention of changing the timeframe for elections and dismissed rumors of an imminent cabinet reshuffle. Sharaf claimed that his previous statement expressing support for the idea of delaying parliamentary elections had been misinterpreted, and confirmed that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF)-proposed timeline for elections remains in effect at present. | Al-Ahram

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party has formalized its alliance with seventeen other parties, including the liberal Wafd, the leftist Tagammu’, and the newly licensed Salafi al-Nour Party. The coalition has issued a document proposing a set of “supra-constitutional” principles to form the basis of the new constitution, including guarantees for freedom of expression and religion and judicial independence. The document also calls for a “strategic dialogue” with Iran and Turkey on the future of the region. | Al-Ahram

A group of young Muslim Brotherhood members announced the formation of their own political party, provisionally named Hizb al-Tayyar al-Masry, in defiance of the Supreme Guidance Bureau’s injunction against establishing or joining parties other than the group’s officially sanctioned Freedom and Justice Party. | Al-Masry al-Youm

JUNE 21

The Constitution First campaign has threatened to stage a million-man demonstration in Tahrir Square on July 8 if the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) refuses to allow the drafting of a new charter before parliamentary elections. The campaign is seeking 15 million signatures for a petition written by 47 legal experts, which calls for the formation of a constitutional committee including representatives of all social and political groups to draft the new constitution. | Al-Ahram

Al-Azhar’s Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb issued an eleven-article document containing principles meant to form the basis of a new social contract for the post-Hosni Mubarak era. The Al-Azhar document claims that Islamic principles are not incompatible with a civil, democratic state based on free elections and equal representation. | Al-Youm al-Saba’a

The Islamist organization Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyaa held a press conference to announce the launch of its new political party, al-Bena’a wa al-Tanmia (Building and Development). Essam Darbala, a leading member of the party, stressed that “religion-based political parties are not harmful” and have a “legitimate right” to participate in the political process. | Al-Ahram

JUNE 20

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf suggested that delaying parliamentary elections “would give the chance for a larger number of new political parties to develop.” Indicating that the interim government has not ruled out a delay, Sharaf said, “Whatever the time of the election, we will exert all efforts to make it a success.” | AFP

Amr Moussa outlined a “road map” for Egypt’s transition period via his Twitter feed, calling for presidential elections to precede both parliamentary elections and the drafting of the new constitution. | Al-Ahram . | Al-Ahram

The Coalition of Independent Revolutionaries, the Independent Trade Union, and the National Center for Popular Committees called for a million-man protest on June 24 to demand a law protecting the freedom to form unions and to eliminate favoritism and corruption in hiring processes. | Al-Masry al-Youm

JUNE 17

Thirty-six political and youth groups are backing a "Constitution First" campaign, which aims to gather 15 million signatures in support of drafting a new constitution before the September elections. According spokesman Essam al-Sharif, the campaign has already gathered 250,000 signatures. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said he will meet for the first time with the heads of newly established political party heads on June 19 to discuss whether parliamentary elections will be held before or after the drafting of a new constitution. | Al-Ahram

Five political parties issued a statement rejecting the draft People’s Assembly Law, saying that the legislation – if implemented in its current form – will result in the election of a “fragmented parliament dominated by money and unable to represent the different segments of Egyptian society.” | Al-Shorouk

JUNE 16

Thirteen nascent political parties have joined forces in the “National Coalition for Egypt,” which plans to field a joint list of candidates in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Although the coalition includes Islamist and Salafi parties, all of the coalition’s members have agreed on the principles of a civil state governed by the rule of law, in which equal citizenship rights are guaranteed. | Al-Ahram

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has no intention of extending the current transitional period leading up to parliamentary elections scheduled for September, council member Tariq al-Mahdi said at a press conference on June 16. In the same statement, al-Mahdi reiterated the SCAF’s commitment to transferring power to an elected civilian government. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Likely presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei has proposed a constitutional bill of rights that does not grant the military any formal role in the political process, although it identifies the armed forces as “the shield of the people and protector of national sovereignty.” | Al-Masry Al-Youm

JUNE 15

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) decided to lift a nationwide curfew for the first time since January 28. In the earliest days of the revolution, the curfew had been in effect from 3 p.m. to 8 a.m., but was gradually rolled back to between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Former Brotherhood member Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, who is running for the presidency in defiance of Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie’s official injunction, said that he prefers to run “as an independent candidate in order to represent all sectors of Egyptian society.” Fotouh said that over 5,000 youth activists from across the political spectrum have already joined his campaign. | Al-Shorouk

Municipal councils have come under scrutiny as the only remaining elected body still dominated by members of the National Democratic Party (NDP). Last week, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf announced that local councils would be disbanded within two weeks. SCAF member Mamdouh Shahin later clarified that the councils can only be dissolved by court order, and the case is currently under review . | Al-Masry Al-Youm

JUNE 14

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party announced that it will form an alliance with the Wafd Party, one of Egypt’s oldest liberal parties, and run on a unified candidacy list in the People’s Assembly elections. Essam el-Erian, vice president of the Freedom and Justice Party, said the coalition will also be looking to include more parties. | Washington Post

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman denied that the American-Israeli student held for spying, Ilan Grapel, was an agent for Mossad. Grapel allegedly met with Salafists in Imbaba the day before sectarian violence broke out in April. He is also accused of collecting information on the Muslim Brotherhood, Coptic Christians, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), and the youth involved in the revolution for Mossad. | Reuters; Al-Masry Al-Youm

Naguib Sawiris’s Free Egyptians Party announced it would officially apply for party status to the Political Parties’ Affairs Committee, making it the first official “liberal” party to emerge from the revolution. Sawiris said his party refused to join any coalition that has religious trends in it. | Al-Masry Al-Youm; Ash-Shorouk

JUNE 13

Authorities detained former Israeli Mossad agent, Ilan Chaim Grabel, who was suspected of spying and recruiting young Egyptians to exploit the security vacuum during the demonstrations. Grabel is also a U.S. citizen.| MSNBC

Prime Minister Essam Sharraf expressed personal support for postponing parliamentary elections scheduled for September, but said it was ultimately up to the people. He also vowed to reconnect expatriates in the voting process and future referendums. | Ash-shorouk; Al-Masry Al-Youm

Mohamed ElBaradei expressed uncertainty over whether or not he will run for president in a televised interview. He said, “I don’t want to run for president just to be president. I want to reform this country … I want to run. But my red line is I don’t want to be part of a stage setting.” | AP

JUNE 10

After the government decided to cancel the 10 percent capital gains tax, the Egyptian stock exchange rose by 1.25 percent and jumped 68 points. | Al-Masry Al-Youm

Ten protest leaders were arrested amid efforts to enforce a decree banning strikes in Qasr al-Eini after security forces broke up the demonstration. | Al-Masry Al-Youm

According to Israeli public radio, the supply of gas resumed from Egypt to Israel after it was suspended for a month and a half following a gas pipeline bombing. | AFP

JUNE 9

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen met with Egyptian Lt. General Sami Annan to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to “a strong bilateral relationship with [both] the Egyptian Armed Forces ... and a democratic Egypt.” | Daily News Egypt

Outgoing head of the Arab League Amr Moussa said that Egypt’s next presidential election should be held before the parliamentary elections to allow time for the development of a diverse spectrum of political parties. He also predicted that no single political force will be capable of winning a parliamentary majority, and emphasized the need for coalition building. | Al-Wafd

The interim cabinet warned on June 8 that persistent labor strikes are “damaging Egypt's reputation” and vowed to enforce the law criminalizing protests and strikes that are disruptive to Egypt’s economy. Speaking on behalf of the cabinet, Justice Minister Mohammed Abdul Aziz said that the recent railway strikes and other organized protests “threaten Egypt’s economy and prevent the achievement of the revolution’s objectives.” | Al-Ahram

JUNE 8

The Muslim Brotherhood’s newly legalized Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) intends to field parliamentary candidates from outside of the Brotherhood movement, as well as Coptic members of the FJP. The party’s vice president, Rafik Habib, said that the FJP will contest between 45 and 50 percent of the People’s Assembly seats. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt has been reopened for travelers in both directions after days of contentious closures. On June 4, Palestinians stormed a gate after waiting for hours in buses while the crossing was temporarily closed for repairs. | CNN

Following the introduction of electoral reforms granting voting rights to expatriates, presidential candidates Amr Moussa and Hisham al-Bastawisi are traveling to Europe next week in an effort to mobilize Egyptian supporters overseas. | Al-Masry al-Youm

JUNE 7

The Political Parties’ Affairs Committee has officially approved the establishment of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, granting the group formal legal status for the first time since it was banned in 1954. | Al-Youm al-Saba'a

A spokesman for Prime Minister Essam Sharaf confirmed that local councils will be disbanded within two weeks. The councils, heavily staffed by officials closely affiliated with former President Hosni Mubarak’s regime, have come under heavy criticism from political parties and groups, which recommended that the local governing bodies be dissolved during recent national dialogue sessions. | Al-Masry al-Youm

The Supreme State Security Court has ordered the detention of a Salafi activist, Mohammed Fadil (also known as Abu Yahya), for fifteen days on charges of instigating deadly sectarian clashes in the Cairo neighborhood of Imbaba earlier this year. | Al-Youm al-Saba'a

JUNE 6

Hamas announced that it will keep the Palestinian side of the Rafah Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt closed until the Egyptian government allows more Palestinians to cross the border each day and agrees to relax certain visa requirements. The decision came a day after Palestinians traveling to Egypt stormed a gate at the border crossing after waiting for hours in buses as Egyptian officials temporarily closed the checkpoint to conduct repairs. | CNN

According to a new IRI poll, 95 percent of the 1,200 Egyptians surveyed said they were very or somewhat likely to cast ballots in parliamentary elections scheduled for September. However, 65 percent said they had no idea which party they would back, and only 15 percent said they support the Muslim Brotherhood. | Washington Post

The IMF has agreed to a $3 billion loan to help Egypt close a $10 billion budget deficit. The one-year loan, which carries a below-market interest rate of 1.5 percent, still needs final approval from the IMF executive board. Meanwhile, despite substantial aid pledges from the U.S., World Bank, and other international donors, Finance Minister Samir Radwan said that Egypt had received more “hugs and kisses” than actual money so far. | Washington Post

JUNE 3

The SCAF has ordered all citizens in possession of unlicensed firearms to hand over their weapons to the nearest military unit before June 30. Failure to comply with the order will lead to prosecution in military courts and possibly a lifetime prison sentence. | Al-Ahram

A SCAF-initiated dialogue with youth groups collapsed this week, after 22 political parties and movements withdrew their representatives from the conference, which they criticized as “ineffective.” Critics complained that the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists were overrepresented at the conference. | Al-Masry al-Youm

In response to warnings by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that terrorists groups are mobilizing in the Sinai region, Egypt’s national security chief Hamed Abdallah dismissed these concerns as “baseless” and insisted that “there are no members of the al-Qaeda organization in Egypt.” | Al-Ahram

JUNE 2

The Head of the Cairo Court announced that the trials of Hosni, Alaa and Gamal Mubarak will begin on August 3. The three are accused of embezzling public funds, instigating the murder of protesters, and abusing their power for personal gain. | Al-Ahram

The Muslim Brotherhood’s leader, Mohammed Badie, said that Egyptians are ready for democracy but should not question decisions that have already been made by popular majority, implying that liberal political parties should drop their demands for postponing the parliamentary elections, which have been scheduled for September in accordance with the March 19 constitutional referendum.| Al-Youm al-Saba’a

Egypt’s cabinet approved a LE 700 minimum wage for government employees, less than the LE 1,200 threshold sought by labor activists. The new minimum wage will not apply to all public sector workers, and the cabinet decision left many government employees confused as to whether or not they will benefit from the increase. | Al-Ahram

JUNE 1

Twenty-three different youth groups have rejected an invitation from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to participate in a dialogue. Youth representatives said they are unwilling to negotiate with the military council in light of the absence of a clear timetable for political transition; continued mistreatment of protesters by military police; and the prosecution of civilians in military courts. | Al-Masry al-Youm

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met with a popular delegation of 40 Egyptian intellectuals, public figures, and academics in Tehran on June 1 and pledged to share Iranian expertise with Egypt and invest in Egyptian enterprises. “We are completely prepared to impart the experience we have accumulated over the last 32 years in the nuclear, industrial, scientific, and agricultural fields to our Egyptian brothers. This is our duty,” Ahmadinejad said, adding that Iran intends to invest in Egyptian projects and businesses. | Al-Youm al-Saba’a

Justice Minister Mohammed al-Gendi summoned three judges for questioning, after they made “inflammatory statements” that “insulted the military judiciary” during a broadcast on Al Jazeera. During the television program, Judges Hassan al-Naggar, Alaa Shawki, and Ashraf Nada criticized the practice of trying civilians in military courts. They have been accused of “threaten[ing] peace and national security” with their statements to the media. | Al-Ahram

MAY 31

The SCAF announced a package of draft amendments to the 1972 Law on the People’s Assembly. The proposed changes would introduce a mixed system of individual candidacy and party-list proportional representation, in which two-thirds of the People’s Assembly seats would be allocated according to the individual candidacy system while the remaining one-third would be determined through the party-list system. The draft amendments have already come under heavy criticism from activists and political figures who claim that the individual candidacy system favors established parties. | Al-Masry al-Youm; Al-Ahram

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Cairo for talks with Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi and other SCAF members regarding the Egyptian-brokered reconciliation accord between Fatah and Hamas. According to Egyptian state media, Abbas expressed his readiness to start negotiations with Israel on the basis of the principles outlined by U.S. President Barack Obama in his May 19 speech as well as the Arab Peace Initiative. While in Cairo, Abbas also met with the secretary general of the Syrian-based Islamic Jihad organization, Ramadan Shallah, under the auspices of Egyptian authorities. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 27

As many as 100,000 people have returned to Tahrir Square for a “Second Day of Rage,” after the ruling military council promised not to deploy the armed forces in streets where protesters were expected to mobilize. The protesters are calling for a presidential council to replace the SCAF; delayed elections; the immediate prosecution and transfer of Hosni Mubarak to Tora Prison; and judicial supervision of the newly formed National Security Apparatus. | Al-Ahram, Al-Shorouk

SCAF member Mamdouh Shahin urged citizens to respect the anti-protest law and request permission from the government before staging demonstrations. He said that officials should receive advance notification of the location and reason for any planned protest. On March 23, the SCAF introduced a law criminalizing strikes, protests, or sit-ins that have a disruptive impact on public order or economic activity. | Al-Ahram

The Muslim Brotherhood announced earlier this week that it would not participate in the “Second Day of Rage,” saying that continued protests will further exacerbate tensions between the army and the people. On May 26, members of the Brotherhood’s youth wing broke with the leadership’s official stance by deciding to join protesters in Tahrir Square. | Al-Youm al-Saba’a

MAY 26

The Alliance of Revolutionary Forces, which includes 58 youth groups, is calling for a “Second Day of Rage” in Tahrir Square on May 27, followed by an open-ended sit-in. Not all of the groups have agreed to a unified set of demands, but there is broad support among protesters for the creation of a presidential council to replace Egypt’s military leadership; the immediate prosecution of former President Hosni Mubarak and other former regime officials; and the abrogation of the emergency law. | Al-Ahram, Al-Masry al-Youm

As activists continue to call for a “Second Day of Rage,” Prime Minister Essam Sharaf made a televised statement enumerating the interim government’s achievements since the revolution and pleading for more time to meet the protesters’ remaining demands. “It is difficult, even impossible, for us to deal with and realize all factional demands...on an individual basis … I hope that you cooperate with us and give us time to meet these demands in a way that is fair for all,” Sharaf said. | Reuters

Egypt announced that it will permanently reopen its border crossing with the Gaza Strip on May 28 in an effort to “end the status of the Palestinian division and achieve national reconciliation.” Israeli officials warned that fully reopening the Rafah crossing could allow Hamas to build up its arsenal and urged Egypt to continue blocking arms shipments to Hamas. | Washington Post

MAY 25

Outgoing Foreign Minister Nabil Elaraby held talks with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) conference in Indonesia to discuss the possibility of exchanging ambassadors. Elaraby also told his counterpart that “Egypt is opening new chapters with everyone.”| Al-Masry al-Youm

The World Bank announced that it will provide up to $4.5 billion to support political and economic change in Egypt. Egypt will be eligible for up to $1 billion in assistance in each of the next two years if the government demonstrates progress toward becoming “more open and inclusive.” The bank will provide an additional $2.5 billion in loans for development projects in Egypt. | AFP; New York Times

Egypt’s public prosecutor announced that former President Hosni Mubarak will be tried for conspiring to kill unarmed protesters and could face the death penalty. Mubarak has also been charged with obtaining his waterfront estate in Sharm al-Sheik through a corrupt land deal and allowing a friend to skim $714 million in public funds off of a natural gas deal with Israel. | New York Times

MAY 23

Egypt's Foreign Ministry issued a statement praising U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to support a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders but noting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s swift rejection of the proposal reflects “Israel’s unwillingness to resolve the conflict and continued policy of procrastination.” | Egyptian Foreign Ministry

Arguments broke out during the second session of the cabinet-sponsored National Dialogue Conference as some participants objected to the presence of former regime and National Democratic Party (NDP) officials. A number of participants demanded that the cabinet and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) modify the current transition timeline by agreeing to draft a new constitution before parliamentary and presidential elections. | The Daily News Egypt

President Obama named Anne Patterson as the next U.S. ambassador to Egypt. Patterson served from July 2007 to October 2010 as the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan. Pending Senate confirmation, she will replace Margaret Scobey, who has served in the post for just over three years. | Al-Ahram

MAY 19

Foreign Minister Nabil Elaraby met with visiting members of the Israeli Peace Initiative, including former senior Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Mossad officials. The meeting marks the first public contact between Egyptian officials and Israeli representatives since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak’s regime. The Israeli Peace Initiative is promoting a framework for a peace settlement based on the 2002 Arab peace initiative. | Jerusalem Post

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) issued a statement accusing certain media outlets of publishing false reports on the military’s response to street protests. The SCAF denied allegations that the armed forces have used live bullets to disperse demonstrations. “The armed forces didn’t and will not use force against the revolution’s youth or any one of these great people,” the council stated. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 18

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) denied rumors that it intends to grant amnesty to former President Hosni Mubarak and his family, emphasizing that the ruling military council will not interfere with the indictment of any former regime officials. The SCAF also warned against false media reports aimed at driving a wedge between the people and the army.| Al-Masry al-Youm

The Youth Revolution Coalition warned that protesters will return to Tahrir Square if Mubarak, his family, and other symbols of the former regime are released from jail and acquitted. At a press conference outside of the attorney general’s office, the coalition—which includes members of the April 6 Youth Movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the National Association for Change (NAC)—pointed to the release of Suzanne Mubarak, the former president’s wife, and rumors of an amnesty deal for Hosni Mubarak as indications that the counter-revolution is gaining momentum. | Al-Youm al-Saba’a

The Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party has submitted a formal request for legal recognition. Mohammed Morsi, the party’s chairman, acknowledged that while the party is “led by Islamic principles,” all Egyptians are welcome to join it, regardless of religious affiliation. Of the party’s 8,821 founding members, 93 are Coptic Christians and 978 are women. | Al-Ahram

MAY 17

Several dozen Egyptian activists spent the night of May 16 at the Rafah border crossing after Egyptian authorities refused to let them enter Gaza to participate in planned protests commemorating the Nakba. Meanwhile, hundreds of activists resumed protesting outside of the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, where they burned the Israeli flag, demanded the cessation of gas exports to Israel, and called for the expulsion of the country’s ambassador. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Supreme Council of the Armed Forces member Mahmoud Nasr warned that recent unrest has taken a serious toll on the economy, reducing new foreign direct investment to zero. The combined foreign and domestic debt has reached LE 1080 billion, or 90 percent of Egypt’s GDP. Despite these indicators, Nasr stressed that the ruling military council “is still optimistic, as the infrastructure of the economy was not destroyed.” | Al-Masry al-Youm

Saad al-Katatny, one of the founders of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, announced that the party will formally submit its registration paperwork on May 18. According to another leader, Mohammed Morsi, the party is seeking to nominate Coptic candidates in the upcoming parliamentary elections. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 16

Egypt deployed troops in the northern Sinai province to prevent Egyptian protesters from reaching the border with Gaza to show support for a third Palestinian intifada. In addition, more than 350 people were injured when security forces used live bullets and tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters staging a pro-Palestinian rally outside of the Israeli Embassy in Cairo. | New York Times; Bloomberg

Fifty-two people were arrested on charges of assault, battery, damage to public property, and weapons possession after a group of armed thugs attacked Coptic protesters who staged a sit-in outside of state television headquarters (Maspero) on the night of May 14. Seventy-eight people were injured in the incident | Al-Ahram

Justice Minister Mohammed al-Guindi said that the new constitution will be structured around a hybrid parliamentary-presidential political system. A national panel, including representatives from “all groups and movements,” will draft the new charter in the period between the parliamentary and presidential elections; the draft will then be subject to a popular referendum. | al Masry al Youm

MAY 13

Thousands of protesters returned to Tahrir Square and state television headquarters to participate in several separate large-scale demonstrations. The National Association for Change (NAC) joined the January 25 Coalition and the Muslim Brotherhood in calling for a million-man demonstration in Tahrir Square to support national unity and demand a public debate on the revised law on political rights and the election of a committee to draft the new constitution. A separate group called for a third Palestinian intifada. The Maspero Youth Union—a Coptic coalition—demanded justice for the victims of sectarian violence and the drafting of a unified law on places of worship. | Al-Youm al-Saba’a; Al-Masry al-Youm; Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 12

In a televised interview, Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) member Mamdouh Shahin said that the state of emergency will remain in place through the next elections in order to “control the street” during polling. However, the emergency law might be canceled sooner “if stability returns before elections.”| Al-Youm al-Saba’a

Political party leaders overwhelmingly rejected a statement by Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie describing the Muslim Brotherhood as a “mother” opening her arms to all of Egypt’s political forces. The Tagammu’, Wafd, and Democratic Front parties rejected the statement, which Nasserist Party President Mohamed Abul Ela declared “condescending.”| Al-Masry al-Youm; Al-Youm al-Saba’a

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) issued a statement pledging to confront the root causes of sectarian conflict in Egypt. SCAF member Ismail Etman described sectarian strife as a “red line,” and said that any transgression of that line would be countered with “an iron fist.” | Al-Shorouk

The SCAF is expected to announce revisions to the law on political rights on May 14. Key changes include the removal of a female quota for the People’s Assembly, the implementation of individual and proportional electoral lists, and provisions for conducting parliamentary elections in three stages. The SCAF has reportedly rejected a proposed revision that would have granted voting rights to Egyptians abroad. | Al-Masry al-Youm

According to Minister of Manpower Ahmed Hass al-Borai, 45 percent of young Egyptians with college degrees are jobless; however, the unemployment rate for those without college degrees is considerably lower (9-10 percent). Al-Borai attributed the high unemployment rate to economic disturbances associated with the uprising. | Al-Shorouk

MAY 10

The Prime Minister Essam Sharaf referred Muslims and Copts implicated in sectarian clashes in Cairo to the Emergency Supreme State Security Court. He also submitted a detailed report on the violence to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) for review. Meanwhile, military and security forces arrested 28 more people implicated in the clashes, in addition to the 190 suspects who have already been taken into custody. | Al-Masry al-Youm; Al-Youm al-Saba’a

The April 6 Youth Movement has called for a demonstration on May 13 to promote tolerance and reconciliation between Muslims and Copts in the aftermath of violent sectarian clashes in Cairo, which the movement blamed on instigators associated with former President Hosni Mubarak’s regime. It also accused the interim government and security forces of “shameful delinquency” in their response to the situation in Imbaba. | Al-Masry al-Youm

After the Washington Post reported on May 8 that the United States had agreed to grant Egypt $1 billion in debt relief as part of an economic aid package that would also include trade and investment incentives, State Department spokesman Mark Toner clarified that the issue was under consideration but that “no final decisions have been made.” | Reuters; Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 9

The Muslim Brotherhood issued a statement denouncing the Imbaba violence as the result of “blind bigotry” and welcomed the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ (SCAF) decision to try 190 arrested participants before a military court. According the Brotherhood’s statement, interreligious tensions in Imbaba were instigated by “Muslim and Christian hardliners” acting with the support of “foreign and domestic forces seeking to thwart the interests of the revolution.” On May 7, shortly after the outbreak of sectarian violence, around 50,000 people participated in a joint rally held by the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi groups, where Salafi preacher Safwat Hegazy called for religious tolerance and said that “Egypt does not belong to the Muslims alone." | Al-Shorouk; Al-Youm al-Saba'a; Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 8

Responding to the sectarian clashes in Giza’s Imbaba neighborhood, the SCAF issued a statement on May 8 saying that 190 arrested participants would be tried before a military court. The clashes are also being investigated by Public Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud’s office and by the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), a government body. The SCAF has ordered the formation of a special committee to assess damages to private property and oversee the reconstruction of the churches and other properties vandalized in the clashes, while the governor of Giza announced that victims’ families would be paid LE 5,000, and those injured in the violence would receive LE 2,000 each. | Al-Masry al-Youm; Al-Masry al-Youm; The Daily News Egypt

MAY 7

Violent sectarian clashes erupted in the Cairo neighborhood of Imbaba over rumors of an interfaith marriage between a Coptic woman and a Muslim man. Twelve people were killed and at least 230 people were injured in the violence. Fighting broke out after Muslims in the neighborhood accused Christians of detaining the woman inside the Church of St. Mina, which they set on fire in retaliation. Hundreds of Copts and Muslims clashed until at least 4 a.m. on May 8, wielding knives, stones, and Molotov cocktails. | New York Times

MAY 6

Thousands of protesters marched from the al-Nour Mosque in Abbassiya toward the American Embassy in Cairo after Friday prayers to condemn the assassination of Osama bin Laden and honor the al-Qaeda leader’s “martyrdom.” | Al-Shorouk; Al-Masry al-Youm

Thousands of Copts have gathered outside of the cathedral in Abbassiya, Cairo, for a planned million-man demonstration in response to a large Salafi protest at the same location last Friday. At that protest, Salafis condemned the detention of Camilia Shehata, who was allegedly abducted by church officials after her voluntarily conversion to Islam. Military personnel and armored vehicles were stationed around the perimeter of the cathedral to secure the Coptic demonstration on May 6. | Al-Masry al-Youm

A group calling itself the “Preparatory Committee for the Third Intifada” has joined the April 6 Youth Movement in calling for anti-Israel protests outside of the Israeli Embassy and in Tahrir Square after Friday prayers. By early afternoon on May 6, dozens of activists had gathered outside of Israel’s embassy to demand the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and the cessation of natural gas exports to Israel. | Al-Shorouk

MAY 5

Clashes broke out between pro- and anti-Hosni Mubarak groups, injuring 156 people, after about 200 Mubarak supporters rallied outside of state television headquarters to honor the former president’s eighty-third birthday. Mubarak’s supporters demanded that he be exonerated of all legal charges. When a crowd of Mubarak protesters arrived, the two sides exchanged gunfire and stones, prompting the army to intervene. | Al-Masry al-Youm; Al-Ahram

Former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly was sentenced to twelve years in prison on May 5 for money laundering and profiteering, according to judicial sources. The Cairo court also ordered the seizure of assets related to the case. The combined value of the confiscated assets and fines incurred by al-Adly is estimated to be around $3.9 million. | Reuters

The Muslim Brotherhood has cut ties with leftist labor groups and announced that it will establish its own, independent labor union. Saber Abul Fotouh, the Brotherhood’s labor official, said that the group now views any cooperation with leftists as “unacceptable.” Tensions between the Brotherhood and labor groups escalated during the popular uprising, after labor activists demanded that Brotherhood leaders apologize for statements suggesting that workers’ demonstrations and strikes were undermining the revolution. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 4

According to a report in al-Ahram, the U.S. embassy in Cairo received a formal letter from Egypt’s foreign ministry this week rejecting conditions tied to a $150 million aid package offered by the State Department in February. The letter objected to the “unilateral” manner in which the aid package had been presented by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—without adequate consultation with Egyptian officials—and expressed concern about the possibility that funds might be directed to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that have not formally registered with the government. | Al-Ahram

The Institute of International Finance issued a report projecting that the Egyptian economy will contract by 2.5 percent in 2011, signaling the start of a recession. The World Bank is expected to approve $2.2 billion in loans for Egypt. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund is currently in talks with Egypt on a possible loan program that will include a package of economic reform measures aimed at stabilizing the economy and generating private-sector-led growth. | Reuters

Egypt’s cabinet is expected to issue a new law within days that will define the powers and responsibilities of the “National Security” agency, which was created in February to replace the much-criticized State Security Investigations Sector (SSIS). According to the source, the law will serve to limit the scope of the agency’s activities to counter-terrorism, espionage, and narcotics, and will “prevent the agency from interfering in political life.” | Al-Masry al-Youm

MAY 3

Members of Fatah, Hamas, and other officials representing a total of thirteen different factions have reportedly signed a reconciliation accord in Cairo. According to Bilal Qassim, secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Front’s political bureau, the document was signed at a Cairo hotel in the presence of an Egyptian intelligence official. Walid al-Awad, a senior member of the Palestinian People’s Party, also told reporters that all factions, including Fatah and Hamas, had agreed to the Egyptian-brokered agreement. Fatah and Hamas representatives had not yet confirmed their acceptance of the deal at the time of publication. | Al-Shorouk; Bloomberg

In response to news of Osama Bin Laden’s death, Foreign Minister Nabil Elaraby said that the Egyptian government had no official comment on the assassination, although he emphasized that “Egypt is against all kinds of violence.” | The Daily News Egypt

Elaraby spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, by phone on May 3 for the first time since the popular uprising. According to Iranian media reports, the two ministers discussed current developments in the Middle East, including the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement. | YNet

MAY 2

The Freedom and Justice Party, the Muslim Brotherhood’s official political wing, has announced that it will field candidates for between 45 and 50 percent of districts in elections scheduled for September, after previously indicating that it would only seek a third of the available parliamentary seats. The party appears to be holding to an earlier decision not to participate in presidential elections, which are expected to take place by the end of the year. | Al-Youm al-Saba’a, Wall Street Journal

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and Fatah representatives have arrived in Cairo for an official signing ceremony later this week of the Egyptian-brokered reconciliation agreement between the two Palestinian groups. The agreement calls for setting up a unity government to run the West Bank and Gaza Strip and prepare for Palestinian elections within a year. | Reuters

Presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei recommended that Egypt’s constitution be rewritten before presidential elections next winter. Parliamentary elections are still slated for September, and the interim constitution requires the newly elected parliament to form a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution. | Al-Masry al-Youm

Unexpectedly large crowds of voters turned out on Monday to cast their votes in Egypt’s first parliamentary election since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, a ballot that seemed to blend vindication of the democratic struggle with uncertainty over the revolution’s final outcome.| New York Times

The televised press conference on today's vote by SEC head Abdel Moez Ibrahim continues. Ibrahim says mistakes and violations in today's polling are because the first round is an "experimental" one. He also adds that ongoing campaigning, which defies a 48-hour campaign ban prior to the start of elections, by supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated FJP is minor and of no consequence. Ibrahim states that turnout is set to be much higher than expected. | Al-Ahram

Karem Radwan, a Muslim Brotherhood official says there was a five hour delay in the opening of 51 polling stations in the districts of Helwan and El-Tabeen because the administrative employees in the stations went on strike, refusing to work until their lives were insured just like the judges. | Al-Ahram

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.