Egypt Judges Club reaffirms boycott of constitution vote

Senior Egyptian judges are set to boycott the supervision of a referendum on the controversial draft constitution which is being held tomorrow and next Saturday.

Members of the Judges Club – one of the main judicial groups – remain angry at President Mohamed Mursi for bypassing them in an attempt to get the new constitution passed.

“This debate should be heard at the judges bench”, said Mohammed Reda Shawcat, Head of the Criminal Court. “This must be discussed through the judiciary, where we can look at the president’s recent decisions. It’s not legal for judges to discuss these sorts of things outside the courtroom.”

Political analyst Ali Hasan said the judges are standing strong in their boycott of the vote: “They’ve been ignored. Their views about the draft have not been considered; and judges are angry because some political figures want them to rule in their favour without question.”

Reporting from Cairo, euronews correspondent Mohammed Shaikhibrahim said: “Despite the snowballing political crisis since Mursi widened his grip on power – some experts think the uncertainty within Egypt is a natural phase for any fledgling democracy – and will subside once the people have had their say on the draft constitution.”

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