Growing Pressure for an Earlier Transition in Egypt

The complaints about the longish timetable for transition in Egypt are building. Now some 45 politicvalparties, unions, syndicates,and civil society groups are asking SCAF to hand over power jo later than April 30, 2012, rather than dragging the transition tolate next summer as seemed likely given the schedules advanced so far.

Ths comes amid criticism of SCAF's statement that the State if Emergency will last at least through next June; which has been challenged by a leading jurist amid widespread criticism of holding elections under a State of Emergency;.

I think this pressure is likely to grow. Many suspect that SCAF is not so eager to transfer power as they claim, and many question why the Parliamentary elections have to take so long: three rounds for the lower house followed by three rounds for the upper house. Even someb who initially feared that earlier rather than later elections would favor the Muslim Brotherhood are now impatient to move beyond military rule.As the first round of voting approaches in November, I suspect we'll see growing pressures to move up some parts of the timetable.