WordBulletin

World Bulletin / News Desk

Egypt will have a new constitution drafted by the end of September and ready to be submitted to a nationwide referendum, the country's prime minister said Saturday.

Hisham Kandil did not specify a date for the referendum, though, according to Egypt's MENA state news agency.

The drafting of a new constitution has been a highly divisive issue in Egypt since last year's uprising that ousted longtime authoritarian ruler Hosni Mubarak.

Morsi has said that if the 100-member panel currently drafting the document does not finish its work for whatever reason, he will appoint a new one within 15 days and give it three weeks to finish its work. The draft will then be put to a vote in a national referendum within 30 days.

Separately, Morsi's spokesman announced Saturday a number of presidential advisors from the around 15 that will be appointed by the president. The president has yet to name a vice president, but has promised to be inclusive.

Some of the names announced as advisors were a mix of opposition figures, and included women and a Coptic Christian. Among them is Egyptian journalist Sakina Fouad, who is a member of the opposition Democratic Front Party, Samir Morcos, a Coptic Christian official, and Essam al-Haddad of the Brotherhood.