Among the details was a provision for term limits for the President of two four-year terms. Former President Hosni Mubarak, the target of so much animosity during the protests of the past few months, was serving his fifth six-year term. Among those already announced candidates for President are Mohamed ElBaradei, an opposition and Nobel laureate, and Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the Arab League. One political organization that will not be running a candidate for President is the Muslim Brotherhood, despite fears from other opposition leaders that the elections are too soon to allow proper formation of political parties.
The presidential election will take place a few weeks after the parliamentary elections, the military council said. A firm date for those elections has not been set.
The military leaders also issued a temporary constitution, made up of the previous constitution — which the council had suspended when it took over the reins of government from Mubarak — and a series of amendments approved by voters in a special referendum.
The newly elected parliament will draft a new constitution.
Among other actions taken by the military council was the announcement of the removal of the editors of some of the country's leading state-owned newspapers.
