CAIRO: Three opposition parties – Al Wafd, Al Tagmouh, and Al Nasary (Nasserist) – have compiled a shared vision for constitutional amendments, which in theory doesn’t deviate from the guidelines the ruling party has been promoting in the media.
The statement Al Wafd Party President Mounir Abdel Nour sent to The Daily Star Egypt provided details of the proposed changes that the National Democratic Party hasn’t offered yet.
Depending on the speech President Hosni Mubarak will give today regarding the proposed constitutional amendments, the similarities between the two visions might prove to be only in the headlines.
The main differences are highlighted in provisions that cover the legal system, duration of presidential terms and freedom of expression. First, the coalition wants the judiciary to monitor all elections and remove supervision of the judges assigned to the monitoring body.
On the other hand, the National Democratic Party (NDP) proposes the creation of an independent committee to monitor the elections.
Regarding the presidency, the NDP has yet to reveal whether Article 77, which governs the number of terms a president can serve, will be amended.
Political analyst Diaa Rashwan said President Mubarak won’t change the much-talked about Article. In their vision, the three parties stress the necessity of its amendment.
The tri-party vision demands a reverse of Article 77 to its 1980 version which limited the presidential terms.
The opposition parties also want to maintain Articles 40 – 63, those concerning personal freedom and freedom of expression – and bar any amendment to them.
The proposed anti-terrorism law, which the NDP has repeatedly brought up as an alternative to the Emergency Laws could be an unwarranted blow to personal freedoms provisions in the constitution, the three parties said.
Rashwan has stated in a previous interview to The Daily Star Egypt that he expects changes in articles related to personal freedom number 41, 42 and 47 that will lead to the decease of freedom and implementing an anti-terrorism law.
However, the three parties agree with the NDP in some points concerning the president s authorities.
The four parties, including the NDP, see eye to eye on efforts to minimize the role of the president as not to be the sole decision maker.
The three parties also specifically asked for more freedom and power allocated to parliament, particularly in vetting ministers eligibility for their posts.
El Wafd, EL Tagmouh, and El Nasary like the NDP also demand that the prime ministry have a more effective role in relations to the President.
