CAIRO — Egypt’s parliament is gearing up for adding amendments to a number of articles of the 2014 constitution, and submitting them to a referendum in the first half of 2019. The amendments are mainly designed to extend the presidential term and reinstate the Consultative Council, among other matters, parliamentary sources told Al-Monitor.

Speaking to Al-Monitor in person and over the phone, multiple sources affirmed that the largest parliamentary bloc, the Egypt Support Coalition, discussed these potential amendments in a meeting at its headquarters Feb. 2, before their discussion in parliament.

Article 226 of the constitution sets forth that the president of the republic or one-fifth of parliamentarians can request a constitutional amendment, and that the reasons behind the amendment and specific articles need to be identified in the request.

It adds, “In all cases, the House of Representatives will debate the request within 30 days from the date of its receipt. The House issues its decision to accept the request in whole or in part by a majority of its members. If the request is rejected, the same amendments may not be requested again before the next legislative term. If the amendment request is approved by the House, it discusses the text of the articles to be amended within 60 days from the date of approval. If approved by a two-third majority of House members, the amendment is put to public referendum within 30 days from the date of approval. The amendment is effective from the date on which the referendum’s result and the approval of a valid majority of the participants in the referendum are announced."