Farid Ismail, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, said on Tuesday that the party's representation in the constituent assembly would be between 25 and 30 percent.
“We have the right to claim 51 percent as we are the majority in Parliament,” he told the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper.
“But we have reduced our representation to give the rest of the political parties and forces the opportunity.”
Al-Ahram said that applications for the assembly membership would be closed Wednesday, with the final names announced Saturday.
On Saturday in a joint meeting of the People’s Assembly and the Shura Council, Parliament adopted the suggestion of the Freedom and Justice Party regarding the choice of members for the constituent assembly.
According to the proposal, half of the assembly members will be from Parliament and the other half will be from outside Parliament.
Parliament’s decision was rejected by some political figures. Minister of Solidarity and Domestic Trade Gouda Abdel Khaleq criticized the Islamist-dominated Parliament’s control over the process of drafting the constitution on Monday.
Presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sabbahi demanded that the whole assembly be formed from outside Parliament.
The former head of the Arab League and presidential aspirant Amr Moussa demanded a review of the percentages, asserting the importance of balance regarding the assembly to embrace all political persuasions in Egypt, in a statement Monday.
The Constitutional Declaration issued in March 2011 stipulates that Parliament will appoint a 100-member constituent assembly to draft Egypt’s new constitution. The constitution is to be put to a public referendum no more than 15 days after drafting is completed.
