Egypt's military council dissolves parliament

Xinhua, February 14, 2011

The Supreme Council of Egypt's armed forces said in communique No 5 on Sunday that they will suspend the constitution, dissolve the parliament, and form a committee to draft a new constitution for the country.

Egypt's military leadership said it will form a panel to amend the constitution before submitting the changes to a popular referendum.

The military also said that they would dissolve the current parliament formed after the elections in last November, when over 90 percent of the seats were garnered by the ruling National Democratic Party.

The caretaker government will remain in place for a six month interim period.

The Egyptian military had issued a statement on Saturday, stating that the current government will temporarily run the country's affairs until a new government is formed. It also promised a peaceful transition from military regime to a civilian elected government.

Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq said at a news conference on Sunday that his caretaker government's priority is to restore security as the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak ended.

The caretaker cabinet held on Sunday the first meeting since Mubarak was swept from power on Friday.

"Our main concern now in the cabinet is security, to bring security back to the Egyptian citizen," Shafiq said.