Egypt’s Parliament, headed by Ali Abdel Aal, said that amendments to the Constitution of 2014 would be ready by mid-April, if approved by the majority of members, according to a statement on Sunday.
The parliament said that the first week of national dialogue has ended after holding three sessions, explaining that the during the first session, parliament members listened to the opinions of clerics through the representatives of Al-Azhar and the Orthodox Church, the heads of universities and professors of Constitutional Law, as well as editors and board members of newspapers, and a number of prominent journalists and media personnel.
The statement also added that the dialogue of the second session was held with seniors from the judiciary and presidents of former and current courts, while the third included dialogue with representatives of state unions.
Another three sessions will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, during which they will continue the dialogue with politicians, party leaders, businesspersons, representatives of financial and economic institutions, and a number of public figures and representatives from civil society, the statement also said.
The national dialogue meetings started last week on the proposed constitutional amendments are expected to continue next week, on Monday, 25 March, and Thursday, 28 March.
Following the completion of five hearing sessions, the parliamentary committee of the constitutional and legislative affairs will work on drafting the amended articles in order for it to be submitted in a general assembly in its final form to be ready for a referendum, if the amendment is approved by two-thirds of the members. The national electoral commission will be responsible to invite voters for a referendum over the amendments.
Previously, the head of committee, Bahaa El-Din Abu Shoka, said that the amendments would be completed before the holy month of Ramadan which is expected to start in May.
In February, the parliament voted in favour of constitutional changes which would allow President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to run for two additional terms, each of six years, and for the return of the Shura Council.
