Saad al-Katatny, former speaker of the dissolved Parliament, rejected the complementary constitutional declaration and the decision to dissolve Parliament, which he deemed unconstitutional, in a meeting with military Chief of Staff Sami Anan on Sunday.

"The military council should have maintained the free will of the people that produced Parliament," Katatny said, adding that he commissioned the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee to consult with constitutional law experts on how to deal with the dissolution while still respecting the judiciary.

He also told the council that the Constituent Assembly, which was formed recently, is an independent body in accordance with Article 60 of the Constitutional Declaration, and will hold its first meeting in the coming hours to start its work.

With regard to the complementary constitutional declaration, Katatny rejected it, saying it infringes on the legislature.

"The Constitutional Declaration of 30 March 2011 did not give the military council the power to legislate in the presence of an elected parliament," he said.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm