The Constituent Assembly on Wednesday decided to cancel the article of the 1971 Constitution that says the president is the chief of the police force, assembly members Salah Abdel Maqsoud and Nour Eddin Ali announced.
Abdel Maqsoud explained that Article 184 of the 1971 Constitution said the police force is a civilian body that is headed by the president. Its duty is to serve citizens and ensure order, public security and morality, as regulated by the law.
The new article says the police force is a civilian body that is loyal to the constitution and the law, ensures security for citizens, protects their rights, dignity and freedom, and maintains public order and morality, as regulated by the law.
Ali said the assembly is also inclined to stipulate that city, village and district heads should be elected and not appointed as before, with judicial oversight for the elections, and that local councils should not be disbanded except with the consent of Parliament or at the request of the government.
“The election of the governors, however, is still a controversial issue,” he said.
