Egypt to hold referendum on new constitution mid-January: ministerDecember 10, 2013 - 10:46 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Egypt will hold a referendum on a new constitution in the middle of January, a government minister said on Monday, December 9, according to Reuters. Hany Mahmoud, minister of administrative development, said the vote would be held nationwide over two days. "We are talking about mid-January," Mahmoud said in an interview with Egyptian TV channel CBC. The new constitution is an important milestone in the political transition plan drawn up by the army-installed interim government that took office after Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was deposed by the military on July 3. A 50-member assembly finished the draft last week and handed it to interim President Adly Mansour, who has yet to set the referendum date. Mansour is expected to set the date this week, Mahmoud added in the interview, which was viewed on YouTube. The draft removes Islamist-inspired provisions written into the Egyptian constitution approved in a referendum last year while Morsi was still in office. Among other changes, it also deepens the autonomy of the already powerful military. The draft also allows the authorities to switch the order of elections expected next year. The plan unveiled in July required parliamentary elections to be held first, but the new constitution would allow a presidential election first. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |