20111212
Press TV
Egypt's biggest political party, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), has rejected efforts by the country's ruling military council to undermine the authority of the Egyptian parliament over the future constitution.

"No one except the elected parliament has the right to draft legislation," said Khairat al-Shater, a top leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, AFP reported on Sunday.

Al-Shater's comment is seen as a response to a remark by a major general from Egypt's ruling military council, who said on Wednesday that the army would have the final authority over the MPs appointed to a 100-member panel tasked with writing the constitution next year.

On Thursday, the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) said it was boycotting an advisory council appointed by Egypt's junta to supervise the drafting of the new constitution.

The FJP called for a parliament with full powers.

"We have a parliament that will be elected within a month, and the panel that will write the constitution, should be chosen by parliament," Mohamed al-Beltagui, a senior leader in the Brotherhood, said.

The Muslim Brotherhood (47 percent) and Al-Nour, another Islamic party, (21 percent) secured about 68 percent of the seats in the first round of the parliamentary elections, which were held on November 28.

Voting in the remaining two-thirds of electoral districts is scheduled to take place later this month and in January next year.