CAIRO: Three members of parliament announced that they will form a ‘revolutionary council' to execute the demands of the January uprising, which include subjecting those responsible for killing protesters during the 18-day revolt to revolutionary trials and writing a new constitution to represent all Egypt's factions. Free Egyptians Party's MP Mohamed Abu Hamed, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party's MP Ziad El-Eleimy, and Mostafa El-Guindy, who ran with the Revolution Continues coalition in Daqahleya province, plan to form this council. "Around 14 coalitions and movements including the April 6 Youth Movement asked us to lead a revolutionary council," Abu Hamed told Daily News Egypt on Friday. He emphasized that this council would not overstep parliament's authorities, adding that it would coordinate with the state's institutions, including the People's Assembly, to ensure that the people's demands are met. "If a big number of political powers and Egyptians support this council, this would add to our strength and legitimacy in presenting their demands to the PA and other state institutions," he said. However, Al-Wafd Party MP Margaret Azer expressed reservations about the formation of such a council. “No matter how much support this council has, it will never get as much support as the PA, which won the vote of around 30 million Egyptians," she said. Azer added that the MPs by default have the authority to propose laws and reform projects and did not need to form a separate council. Nader Bakkar, spokesman of the Salafi Al-Nour Party agreed, saying that "only the PA had the legitimacy to execute the revolution's demands." Abou Hamed and El-Eleimy have repeatedly slammed the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) in parliament and called on SCAF to hand over power to a civilian authority immediately. They are a familiar face in most mass protests and marches. Since it was seated on Jan. 23, the PA stressed that it was a revolutionary parliament intent on meeting the demands of the revolution. "From this panel, we announce to the Egyptian people and the whole world, that the revolution continues," said Saad Al-Katatny in the first session after his election as Speaker of Egypt's first post-Mubarak parliament. He stressed the importance of swift, just trials for those responsible for killing the martyrs, as well as the need to build a new democratic Egypt. "We will never betray the martyrs' blood," he said, describing the assembly as a "revolutionary, Egyptian PA." Mubarak, former interior minister Habib El-Adly and six of his aides have been on trial since Aug.3 for complicity in the killing of 225 protesters who died in public squares, not in front of police stations. The date of the final verdict will be announced on Feb.22. Many describe the trial as a "sham" and believe the defendants will be found innocent, or given lenient sentences. Amr Hashem Rabei, political analyst specialized in parliamentary affairs at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said that this proposed council was just for "media show" and a bid "to gain the support of the revolutionaries." The PA has been under fire from protesters who deny that it is a "revolutionary PA", especially since it is dominated by Islamists who accommodate SCAF rather than hold it accountable. The Muslim Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party and the Al-Nour hold about 72 percent of PA seats.
