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Egypt's constitution committee chosen

CAIRO, June 13 (UPI) -- The names of 100 people selected to draw up a new Egyptian constitution were released Tuesday night.

Because the list posted on the Web site of the Justice and Freedom Party, political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, contains little biographical detail, The Washington Post said it was hard to assess the political leanings of those chosen for the Constituent Assembly. Critics say the Brotherhood and other Islamists are overrepresented.

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The assembly is to draw up a charter that will determine the roles of the president and parliament in Egypt after decades of authoritarian rule. It will also decide the role of Islamic law in political and civic life.

A number of secular groups walked out of negotiations, including the Egyptian Social Democratic Party.

"I don't think this is representative of the country," said Mohamed Abou el-Ghar, the party's founder. "It is not representative of the different ideas, the different minorities. I don't know how it will work."

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