Can Egyptian MPs oppose constitutional amendments?
As Egypt’s parliament voted in favor of constitutional amendments that would allow President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to remain in power until 2034, parliamentarians who opposed the decision seem to have been victims of defamation campaigns.
The Egyptian parliament approved Feb. 14 a draft constitutional amendment submitted by members of parliament of the pro-regime Egypt Support Coalition earlier this month. The amendments include one that would ensure President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi remains in power until 2034 by extending the current four-year presidential term to six years and abolish the current two-term limit.
The amendments are due to be approved by the parliament’s Constitutional and Legislative Committee for discussion, although no date is yet scheduled, before they would be put up to a referendum so they can enter into force.
The amendments coincide with leaked sex tapes and lawsuits targeting politicians who rejected the amendments in an attempt to pass them “as soon as possible without any obstacles,” a member of parliament for the pro-regime Egypt Support Coalition and member of the committee told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.
Haitham al-Hariri, a parliamentarian for the 25-30 bloc, representing the minority opposition in parliament, who had previously rejected the amendments, posted on his Facebook page Feb. 11 a message for Egyptians to support the amendments. He said that if parliament approved the amendments, it would be the ultimate form of “practicing democracy,” calling on citizens to vote in the referendum on these amendments.
