Egyptian opposition parties have reportedly formed a coalition against the proposed changes to the constitution that would allow President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi for more than four years. Egypt’s parliament has given its initial approval to the constitutional changes, after two-thirds of the general committee endorsed the proposed amendments on Tuesday. The 596-seat assembly will take a final vote on Feb. 17, before having a national referendum. Abdel-Aziz El-Husseini, a senior leader in the Karama, or Dignity party, told Associated Press that 11 parties met and declared their opposition to the proposed changes. The group established a “union for the defense of the constitution” that includes secular and left-leaning parties and lawmakers, he added. In an official statement on Wednesday, Egypt’s Conservatives Party said it has decided to reject the constitutional amendments proposed by a fifth of the parliament’s deputies. “The proposed amendments lack any credible philosophy, not to mention that they lead to undermining some of the main principles preserved by Egypt’s 2014 Constitution, such as maintaining the independence of the judiciary, striking a balance among powers, and establishing a mixed parliamentary-presidential system,” the statement said. It joins the Egyptian Socialist Democratic Party (4…
Opposition Parties Form a Coalition Against Extending Sisi’s Rule
February 6, 2019
