CAIRO, December 2 (RIA Novosti) - A ceremony to submit the draft of Egypt’s new constitution for presidential approval was held on Saturday in Cairo, the national TV reported.
The document was drafted by a constitutional panel. Under the procedure, the document should be approved and signed by the president. The president should then set the date for a nationwide referendum within two weeks.
Upon receiving the copy of the draft, Morsi announced that the referendum will be held on December 15 and called on Egyptians to examine the draft in detail before going to the polls.
“Today I will issue a decree to hold on December 15 a nationwide referendum on Egypt’s new constitution, which is a result of the January 25, 2011 revolution and which will open a new page in the history of the country,” he said after the ceremony.
If the new constitution is approved by the majority of Egyptians, parliamentary elections should then be announced.
Parliamentary elections will end the transition period, introduced after ex-President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster in early 2011.
