For the past few days, there has been a lot of discussion and oppositions regarding Egypt’s new attempts to amend the 2014 constitution, particularly on whether President Sisi will indeed extend his term in office until 2034. Summary: On Thursday, Egypt’s House of Representatives voted by an overwhelming majority (485 out of 596) to approve a set of constitutional amendments that allow extending the presidential term from four to six years in Article 140 of the constitution, a transitional clause that applies only to President Sisi for him to run for two more six-year terms after his current term ends in 2022, re-introduce an upper house of Parliament and the Senate, a quota specifying at least 25 percent female representation in parliament, as well as an “appropriate representation” of young men, farmers, workers and Copts. The amendments also give the president new authorities over appointing members of the judiciary and increase the army’s role in “safeguarding the constitution and the ideals of democracy, and maintaining a civil state.” However, was this the final vote? As seen below in The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy’s (TIMEP) infograph, the amendment process includes…
All You Need to Know About Egypt’s New Constitutional Amendments
February 16, 2019
