The Egyptian parliament's general committee approved on Tuesday a motion signed by 155 MPs (more than one-fifth of the total deputies) to amend the Egyptian constitution. House Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal chaired the general committee's meeting to review the proposed constitutional amendments, which involved seven sections outlined as follows. First section: Increased representation and support for political life and balance among the communities in society: (A) Supporting the increased representation of women in parliament. (B) The permanent representation of workers and farmers in parliament. (C) The permanent representation of youth, Copts, Egyptians abroad and persons with disabilities in parliament. Second section: Reforming the system of government (A) The possibility of appointing one or more vice presidents of the republic. (B) Increasing the length of presidential terms from four to six years. Third section: The judiciary (A) Organise a unified mechanism for the appointment of the heads of judicial bodies, the prosecutor-general and the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court. (B) The establishment of a Higher Council for Joint Judicial Affairs. Fourth section: The Armed Forces (A) Reworking and deepening the role of the Armed Forces. (B) The appointment of the Minister of Defence shall be made after the approval of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. (B) Legal protection for vital and public facilities. Fifth section: Electoral reforms A) Removing the phrase referring to the equal representation of voters. Sixth section: The establishment and organisation of the Senate Introducing new articles regulating the minimum number of members, the conditions for membership, its role and the accountability of the government, with a prohibition on holding membership in both of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Seventh section: Press and Media Removing articles 212 and 213 concerning the National Media Authority and the National Press Authority.
The constitutional amendments are set to be put to a vote by parliament in a general session.
