The government on Wednesday approved amendments to the Presidential Elections Law. The amendments were proposed by the Advisory Council and sent to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which in turn sent it to the cabinet for approval.
Article 2 of the law was amended to stipulate that a presidential candidate should be supported by at least 30 elected members of parliament, or by 30,000 citizens in 15 different governorates.
Article 3 was amended to allow political parties who won a seat in parliament to nominate a presidential candidate.
Article 23 was amended to allow voters to vote in any governorate, not necessarily in their place of their residence.
The amendments also penalize, with six months imprisonment or a fine of LE5,000, citizens who give their votes to more than one candidate.
Abdallah al-Maghazy, the deputy secretary general of the Advisory Council, explained that the constituent assembly is to be tasked with writing the constitution, as it is the only body that can amend articles pertaining to presidential powers.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
