The constitution article that prevents the establishment of political parties based on religion is vague and loosely-defined, said Salah Abdel Ma’boud, a member of the Salafi Nour Party.

Article 54 was approved on Thursday by the 50-member committee in charge of amending the constitution.

This article existed before the January 25 Revolution and was the reason why al-Wasat Party was not formed, Abdel Ma’boud, a member on the reserve list of the 50-strong committee, said on Friday.

The same article is the one that allowed the formation of al-Wasat Party and other Islamist parties after the January 25 Revolution, he added.

This is proof the article is ambiguous and has no definite meaning, he explained.

In a statement reported by the Middle East News Agency on Friday, Abdel Ma’boud said that a religion-based party is one that discriminates between citizens by requiring that he belongs to a certain religion.

As per the second article in the constitution, Islamic Sharia is the main source of legislation in the country.