Egypt's draft constitution vague on specifics

The draft constitution on which Egyptians will vote on December 15 is supposed to usher in the kind of democratic reform that demonstrators demanded nearly two years ago in protests that led to the fall of then-president Hosni Mubarak. Yet the rushed document is peppered with caveats and does little to clarify what role government should have in a democratically ruled Egypt.

On Saturday Egypt's president, Mohamed Mursi, gave his stamp of approval to the document and urged its passage. The Muslim Brotherhood, the organisation through which Mursi gained prominence, made clear it would bring its vast organisational abilities to ensure passage, turning out millions at rallies in a show of support.

Protests yesterday forced the country's highest court to adjourn its work indefinitely, intensifying a conflict between some of the country's top judges and the head of state.

The Supreme Constitutional Court said it would not convene until its judges could operate without "psychological and material pressure", saying protesters had stopped the judges from reaching the building.

A court session had been expected to examine the legality of parliament's upper house and the assembly that drafted a new constitution, both of them Islamist-controlled.

In setting the date for the referendum, Mursi pointedly noted it would reduce the authority of the president, removing the executive's right to dissolve the parliament without a referendum. Mursi also has promised to hand back a number of powers he has given himself during the writing process.