Egyptian constitutional review committee of 2011
Encyclopedia
A committee formed in February 2011 by the Egyptian military following suspension of the constitution during the 2011 Egyptian revolution
. The committee's purpose is to review the constitution of Egypt, to be ratified by a referendum
.
, and a Christian.
(provinces), 30 members of a chamber of the legislature, or nomination by a party holding at least a seat in the legislature. The proposed changes to Article 77 would limit the President to two terms of four years in office. Changes to Articles 88 and 93 would restore judicial supervision of elections and allow the Constitutional Court of Egypt to control the validity of membership of parliament. The proposed amendment to Article 139 would oblige the president to appoint a vice-president. It was also proposed that a commission drafts a new constitution following the parliamentary election.
The issue of limiting presidential powers was postponed until after the elections as part of the new constitution drafting process.
2011 Egyptian revolution
The 2011 Egyptian revolution took place following a popular uprising that began on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 and is still continuing as of November 2011. The uprising was mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil...
. The committee's purpose is to review the constitution of Egypt, to be ratified by a referendum
Egyptian constitutional referendum, 2011
A constitutional referendum was held in Egypt on 19 March 2011, following the 2011 Egyptian revolution. More than 14 million were in favour, while around 4 million opposed the changes; 41% of 45 million eligible voters turned out to vote....
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Aims and composition
The eight-member committee tasked with amending the constitution is composed of legal experts of various ideologies, including secular liberal scholars, three judges from the current Supreme Constitutional CourtSupreme Constitutional Court of Egypt
The Supreme Constitutional Court is an independent judiciary body in the Arab Republic of Egypt, with its new seat in the Cairo suburb of Maadi....
, and a Christian.
Members
- Tarek El-BishryTarek El-BishryTarek El-Bishry is an Egyptian thinker and Judge, considered one of Egypt's top legal minds. On February 15, 2011 El-Bishry was appointed by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to head the committee set up to propose constitutional changes in the aftermath of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.-...
was appointed as the head of the committee. - Subhi SalehSubhi SalehSubhi Saleh is an Egyptian lawyer and a prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood. From 2005 to 2010, he represented the Alexandria district of Ramla in the Parliament of Egypt, belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood bloc. On April 2, 2003, he was arrested...
, lawyer, former member of parliament, and member of the Muslim Brotherhood. - Maher Sami Yussef, counselor to the President of the Supreme Constitutional CourtSupreme Constitutional CourtSupreme Constitutional Court can refer to:*Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt*Supreme Constitutional Court of Syria...
. - Hassan El Badrawi, vice president of the Constitutional Court.
- Hatem Bagatou, president of the consultative commission of the Supreme Constitutional CourtSupreme Constitutional CourtSupreme Constitutional Court can refer to:*Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt*Supreme Constitutional Court of Syria...
. - Mohamed Hassaneim Abdel Al, former dean of the law school at Cairo UniversityCairo UniversityCairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
. - Mahmoud Atef El Bana, constitutional law professor at Cairo UniversityCairo UniversityCairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
. - Mohamed Bahey Abou Younis, of the College of Law at Alexandria UniversityAlexandria UniversityAlexandria University is a university in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1938 as a satellite of Fuad University , becoming an independent entity in 1942. It was known as Farouk University until the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 when its name was changed to the University of Alexandria...
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Amendment proposals
A constitutional amendment proposal announced on 26 February 2011 proposed to amend Articles 76, 77, 88, 93, 139, 148 and 189 and to remove Article 179. Changes to Article 76 would make it easier to become a presidential candidate. Either 30,000 signatures from at least 15 governoratesGovernorates of Egypt
Egypt is divided for administrative purposes into 27 governorates . Egyptian governorates are the top tier of the country's five-tier jurisdiction hierarchy. A governorate is administered by a governor, who is appointed by the President of Egypt and serves at the president's discretion...
(provinces), 30 members of a chamber of the legislature, or nomination by a party holding at least a seat in the legislature. The proposed changes to Article 77 would limit the President to two terms of four years in office. Changes to Articles 88 and 93 would restore judicial supervision of elections and allow the Constitutional Court of Egypt to control the validity of membership of parliament. The proposed amendment to Article 139 would oblige the president to appoint a vice-president. It was also proposed that a commission drafts a new constitution following the parliamentary election.
The issue of limiting presidential powers was postponed until after the elections as part of the new constitution drafting process.
External links
- The devil is now in the details for Egypt's democracy, Rabab Fayad, The Daily StarDaily Star (Lebanon)The Daily Star is a pan-Middle East English language newspaper edited in Beirut. It was founded in 1952 by Kamel Mrowa, the publisher of the Arabic daily Al-Hayat to serve the growing number of expatriates brought by the oil industry...
, 14 March 2011 - Understanding Egypt's revolution, Tarik al-Bishri, Al Jazeera English, 18 March 2011, "The chair of the committee tasked with rewriting the Egyptian constitution reflects on the birth of a new regime."