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Australia has called for a constitutional reform in Egypt and a clear timetable towards free and fair elections following the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.
“Australia calls for constitutional reform and a clear timetable towards free and fair elections and a representative civilian government that ordinary Egyptians have been calling for,” the Prime Minister, Ms Julia Gillard, and the Foreign Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd, said in a joint statement.
They said fundamental reform is needed to “ensure the opportunity and freedom that ordinary Egyptians have been calling for,” AAP reported.
“All Australians will have been moved by the joy we saw in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.”
Mr Rudd was earlier quoted by a radio as saying that Mr Mubarak’s resignation was a historic event and a time of great celebration for the people of Egypt.
“What we’ve seen over the last 18 days is the people of Egypt protesting peacefully, but courageously in the streets of Cairo and other centres across Egypt,” he said.
He said the Egyptian people have demanded “what people all over the world ultimately demand, which is the transformation to a government which they themselves can properly and democratically elect.”
“The Australian government salutes the courage of the Egyptian people and we look forward to working with the authorities in Egypt on the future development of the Egyptian democracy,” Mr Rudd said.
However, he warned that there were many open questions facing the Egyptian people and the international community.
“The first of those questions is the precise role of the military council now in paving the way towards democratic elections. Furthermore, what is the continuing role of the interim cabinet appointed by the then president Mubarak and Vice-President (Omar) Suleiman?
“Thirdly, will there be a new interim government appointed for the purpose of making revisions to the Egyptian Constitution to hold the elections? And fourthly, what would be the timetable for such elections?” he said.
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