Parliament member Esmail Nasr al-Din recently unveiled a draft law to extend the presidential period from four years to six years.
According to an official statement released from Nasr El-Din, the suggested draft law will extend the presidential term to six years instead of four for the sake of helping the president to execute his plans.
The statement noted that it is vital nowadays to put radical amendments on the current constitution, as its articles were drafted under circumstances that are completely different than the current situation in Egypt.
The suggested draft law, that will be officially discussed by Parliament in its third session, has stirred massive controversy among social media users in Egypt and other politicians who consider it a violation to Egypt’s 2014 constitution.
Nasr El-Din’s other goal is to put new amendments in the draft law that would pave the way to more power for the president, including the ability to change government without approval from Parliament.
“These amendments and draft law are supporting the interests of Egyptians and help in achieving rapid development in the country; I personally support these amendments and will vote for it in the Parliament,” Parliamentary member of the coalition ‘Fe Da’am Masr’ (translation ‘the support of Egypt’ ), Zaineb Salem, told Egypt Independent on Sunday.
The current presidential period of four years, Zaineb noted, is not enough time to achieve stability in Egypt, as the country is now undergoing a full reconstruction process that needs time.
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“Any president will not be able to easily execute all of the plans in his agenda in that period, so it is better to increase the presidential term to six years instead of four,” she explained.
Moreover, she hinted that others in her Parliamentary coalition share her views on such amendments and pointed out they may have the final say as they currently enjoy majority control in Parliament.
The former head of the Arab League and former presidential candidate, Amr Mousa, denounced the suggested draft law.
He said in a statement that the constitution is considered a sign of stability in the life of nations, stressing the need to pay respect to Egypt’s constitution, moreover he questioned the timing in which the draft law appeared, as it was unveiled the year before the upcoming Egyptian presidential elections.
Egypt’s current constitution stipulates, in article number 140, that Egypt’s president can hold office for four years and that he can be elected for the same term period only once more.
Moreover, the current constitution gives the Parliament the right to impeach the president from his position and to withdraw confidence through a popular referendum.
