The Hill News

Before January 25, 2011, Egyptians had no political ambition. On Saturday, they did.

The Egyptian people were united in chanting “down with the regime.” That is what they got on February 11, 2011 after a three-week standoff with the head of that very regime. Now that the president has stepped down, and handed over his powers to a military council, Egyptians must deal with a new challenge: state building, and institution-building. Aside from being a tedious process, this will also be an anxious process.

As the dust has settles and the euphoria of victory has passed, it will become clear how much in Egypt has been broken and needs short-term fixing and long-term transformation. Not least of this is the constitution, which is said to have at least 25 articles that need to change if it is not scrapped in its entirety.

The immediate amendments to the constitution involve the short-term political transition, and will impact who is able to ! stand for candidacy in the autumn of 2011 as well as who should monitor the election and guarantee its fairness. With the military council suspending the constitution on Feb. 13, the road is now paved for constitutional reform to take place.

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