Egypt parliament approves constitutional changes

By Viola Fahmy

CAIRO (AA) - Egypt’s parliament on Thursday approved proposed constitutional changes that would increase the duration of presidential terms from four to six years.

A total of 485 out of 596 MPs voted in favor of the proposed amendments.

The changes will now be referred to the office of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, which is expected to set a date for a popular referendum on the issue.

Earlier this month, the Support Egypt Coalition, the country's largest parliamentary bloc, lodged an official request with the assembly to amend the country's national charter.

Al-Sisi’s supporters back the move, which, they say, will contribute to Egypt’s “stability”.

Opponents of the move, by contrast, including many journalists, say the changes -- if implemented -- would “set the country back years”.

Al-Sisi was elected president the same year that Egypt’s 2014 constitution was ratified -- and one year after he led a military coup against his predecessor, Mohamed Morsi.

In June of last year, al-Sisi was re-elected to a second presidential term, which is set to expire in 2022.

According to the constitution in its current form, al-Sisi cannot run for a third term in office.

The presidency, for its part, has yet to comment on the proposed constitutional adjustments, but al-Sisi has said in previous televised remarks that he had no intention to run for a third term in office.