Several Egyptian judges and law experts have issued a statement calling on the Constitutional Amendments Committee to include a constitutional article allowing the president to make further amendments to the national charter if deemed necessary.
The statement, signed by 21 legal experts, asserted that democratic practice requires the replacement of Egypt's 1971 constitution–which grants "absolute powers" to the president of the republic–with a new one limiting executive power.
The statement added that the 1971 constitution was "no longer suitable" for the aspirations of the Egyptian people and the establishment of a truly democratic society.
“The proposed articles now up for amendment are not enough to guarantee a peaceful transition to democracy,” said Mohamed Nour Farahat, dean of Zagazig University’s law faculty and a signatory to the statement.
“They pertain only to the election of a new president,” Farahat added. “The committee should add a transitional regulation that obliges the newly elected president to form a national assembly that would be mandated with drafting a new constitution.”
The statement also called for the establishment of a parliamentary republic, with power in the hands of a government drawn up of ministers from the political parties that formed the parliamentary majority, while the presidency would remain a largely symbolic post.
