Egypt’s constituent assembly has adopted a draft constitution after a marathon all-night session that began shortly afternoon on Thursday and ran until Friday morning.
The assembly – boycotted by liberals and Christians – has been accused of rushing through approval of the document, which is at the centre of a political crisis pitting Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist president, against several opposition parties.
The articles approved include a unanimous decision to retain the principles of Islamic law as the main source of legislation.
However, a new article states that Al-Azhar, Egypt’s most respected Islamic institution, must be consulted on any matters related to Islamic law, a measure critics fear will lead to oversight of legislation by clerics.
The text of the 234 articles will be sent to President Morsi, and should be put to a referendum within two weeks, said Hossam al-Gheriani, the head of the assembly.
Al Jazeera’s Sherine Tadros, reporting from Tahrir Square, said the draft was being viewed as the “Muslim Brotherhood constitution”.
AlJazeera has the full article
