Egypt to hold referendum on new constitution mid-January: ministerDecember 10, 2013 - 10:46 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Egypt will hold a referendum on a new constitution in the middle of January, a government minister said on Monday, December 9, according to Reuters. Hany Mahmoud, minister of administrative development, said the vote would be held nationwide over two days. "We are talking about mid-January," Mahmoud said in an interview with Egyptian TV channel CBC. The new constitution is an important milestone in the political transition plan drawn up by the army-installed interim government that took office after Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was deposed by the military on July 3. A 50-member assembly finished the draft last week and handed it to interim President Adly Mansour, who has yet to set the referendum date. Mansour is expected to set the date this week, Mahmoud added in the interview, which was viewed on YouTube. The draft removes Islamist-inspired provisions written into the Egyptian constitution approved in a referendum last year while Morsi was still in office. Among other changes, it also deepens the autonomy of the already powerful military. The draft also allows the authorities to switch the order of elections expected next year. The plan unveiled in July required parliamentary elections to be held first, but the new constitution would allow a presidential election first. Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Macron honors Charles Aznavour on 100th anniversary French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to the memory of French-Armenian crooner Charles Aznavour. Blinken says U.S. reviewing a number of aid requests from Armenia He said the U.S. is reviewing the requests to determine what more it can do to increase its assistance to Armenia. At least 2 CSTO members participated in preparing 44-day war against Armenia – PM Nikol Pashinyan has declared that at least two CSTO member countries participated in preparations for the 44-day war against Armenia. Armenia PM meets Iran’s Supreme Leader in Tehran Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Seyyed Ali Khamenei |