Egypt: Parliamentary Vote in September; Emergency to be Lifted by Then

Earlier plans to move quickly in Egypt on both Parliamentary and Presidential elections, which had led to concerns by some new parties that there would be insufficient time to organize, thus favoring existing parties and the Muslim Brotherhood (and leading to rumored US pressure not to rush), has been somewhat alleviated by an announcement today that while Parliamentary elections will be held in September (and the State of Emergency will be lifted before the elections), the date for Presidential elections has not yet been set,

The Military Council has announced that it is investigating the events surrounding the breakup of the Tahrir encampment (including the treatment of women), and that a declaration on the Constitution as amended by the recent referendum will be issued within days. (There has been speculation about why it hasn't been issued yet.)

The Army spokesmen denied reports that Husni Mubarak is being treated in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and said he is under house arrest in Egypt. [Later clarified as "forced residency in Egypt," rather than "house arrest."]