Document of the Pledge: Details in English

Ahram Online describes the 'Document of the Pledge' as follows:

The document of the pledge demands that the upcoming president starts negotiations with all political forces to form a new coalition government that will include women, youth and Christians and be representative of all Egypt's political forces. The name of the prime minister, the document added, must also be made public before the runoffs.

The document emphasizes the right of the Egyptian people to resist and revolt should the next president not respect all articles of a constitution, or in cases of constitutional and human rights violations.

The document of the pledge encompasses the following requirements:

1) Egypt is a civil, democratic state in which political authorizations are rooted in the supreme Constitution and law.

2) Maintaining Article 2 of the 1971 Constitution that establishes the principles of Islamic law ( Shari’a) as the principal source of legislation, while respecting all interpretations made by the Supreme Constitutional Court.

3) Adhering to the notion of equal citizenship between men and women in all rights and duties before the law, and the criminalisation of discrimination, blasphemy and the incitement of hatred on the basis of religious belief, color, sex or social status.

4) Respecting the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary through a new legislation that bans all forms of exceptional courts and guarantees the legitimate right to fair trial before an ordinary court.

5) Respecting public freedoms of expression, thought, political participation, scientific research and artistic expression.

6) All citizens enjoy equal access to opportunities, rights, and duties.

7) Protecting key government institutions against any attempts of domination by any political group, chiefly the judiciary, military, police, Al-Azhar and state-owned education bodies through preserving professionalism and impartiality.

8) Respecting basic human rights enshrined in international charters and protocols signed and ratified by Egypt.

9) The commitment of the next president to confront any legal or political endeavors that breach public freedoms or human rights or obstructs the process of a peaceful power transfer and takes necessary measures to transfer all current military trials of civilians to the civil courts.

10) The commitment of the next president to form a national unity government headed by a publicly-supported national figure to be proclaimed ahead of the runoff elections, while abolishing all political organisations and parties established on sectarian or religious basis.

11) The Cancellation of the state of emergency and establishment of a unified electoral law to ensure just representation for all social segments.

12) The choice of the foreign, interior, and defense ministers should be consistent with the concepts of neutrality and competence.

13) The commitment of the next president to neutrally guarantee equal representation to all political and social sects in top level positions (presidency, government, governors, and administrative state apparatus).

14) The commitment of the next president to achieve social justice, empower disadvantaged social groups such as street children and people with special needs and adopt balanced policies of wages that fulfill basic needs of all citizens such as health, education, nutrition…etc.

15) The importance of safeguarding the civilian character of the state and excluding the armed forces out of the political landscape.

16) The formation of the constituent assembly by 9 June, 2012, with equal representation to all elements of the Egyptian society, especially the Copts, women, and youth.

17) All political force are urged to prioritise the national over special interests through avoiding reliance on any means that might lead to an unjust distribution of seats within the assembly.

18) All articles of the new constitution must be ratified with a two-third vote.

Source: Liberal players send 'Document of the Pledge' to Egypt's next president