In its fifth communiqué, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of Egypt announced that it had suspended the constitution and would dissolve parliament. It also said it would draw up a committee to amend a number of articles of Egypt's constitution.

The council also announced that it would set down rules and regulations for holding national referendums.

Egyptian opposition movements had demanded a new constitution and the abolition of the 1971 constitution due to its controversial articles and the "unjust" amendments made over the course of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

In the latest communiqué, the council announced its decision to dissolve Egypt's parliament and shura council but to maintain the incumbent government until the formation of a new one.

The council said it would continue to manage the country's affairs for the next six months or until the end of parliamentary and presidential polls slated for later this year. The council preserves the right to issue decrees during the transitional period and enforce all of Egypt's commitments to international treaties and conventions, according to council spokesmen.

Translated from the Arabic Edition.