Al Jazeera Net - Cairo

It seems that this is the language of Egypt's current feverish race to amend the constitution, which will basically allow the extension of the mandate of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi after the two periods stipulated in the current constitution.

However, what local media leaked about the contents of the amendments suggests that it is more than just "perpetuating" the Sisi in power but extends it to the three executive, legislative and judicial authorities and even all state institutions, in addition to a special situation for the army above the state at the stage of " Post-Sisi. "

Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Al announced on Sunday that he had received a request from five members to amend several articles of the constitution and refer them to the parliament's general committee to discuss the approval of the request in terms of form and regulations before presenting it to MPs to discuss its contents and then approve it and submit it to the referendum.

According to the constitution, the approval of five members of the House of Representatives (120 members out of a total of 596) requires proposals to be amended before they are discussed and voted upon by two-thirds of the members.

Although the official announcement of the contents of the amendments, the Egyptian media quoted some of the deputies that the most important amendments include extending the term of office from four to six years, and the addition of a transitional material allowing Sisi to run again after the end of the second and final period in 2022.

This comes amid controversy over the unconstitutionality of the amendment of the constitution in favor of extending the term of the president. Article 226 of the constitutional amendments emphasizes that the amendment can only be made to guarantee more guarantees. The election of the President of the Republic, or the principles of freedom or equality, unless the amendment relates to further guarantees. "

Above authorities
According to the media and activists on the content of the proposed amendments, it is not only to allow the Sisi to remain in power. There are reports that adding a paragraph to the article on the role of the army and its definition makes it above all authorities, similar to the Turkish army in the pre - Erdogan, where the army was the "protector of secularism," which enabled him to carry out five military coups against elected governments on the pretext of "protecting secularism."

The proposed amendment to the Egyptian Constitution stipulates that the functions of the armed forces include "safeguarding the constitution and democracy, preserving the basic elements of the state and its civilization, and the people's gains and the rights and freedoms of individuals."

Journalist Yasser Rizk, a close associate of Sisi and the army, wrote an article last December proposing several constitutional amendments, including the text on the role of the army in protecting the objectives of the "June 30 revolution" in reference to demonstrations against President Mohamed Morsi and paved the way for Sisi (His defense minister at the time) to lead a military coup overthrew the democratically elected president one year after he came to power.

The advantages of the army are not limited to the new amendments, but rather make the choice of the Minister of Defense the authority of the army, as stipulated by his appointment after the approval of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

The proposed amendments dealt with the trial of civilians before military courts in case of assault on military installations or the like. The word "direct attack" was deleted as a mere attack, opening the door for further military trials of citizens.

Above the judiciary
To further dominate state authorities, proposed amendments to the media include the formation of a higher council of judicial bodies and bodies headed by Sisi, appointed by the Council to appoint, promote and judge judges, as well as to consider proposed laws to regulate the work of judicial bodies.

According to some MPs, the proposed amendments will give Sisi the right to choose a public prosecutor from among three candidates, after the choice of the right of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, which also applies to the President of the Constitutional Court, which was appointed with absolute seniority, Sisi's right to choose among the oldest five Vice-President of the Court.

According to media leaks, the amendments also include a reduction in the powers of the administrative judiciary, which was used by activists in the government's dispute. The amendments proposed abolishing the jurisdiction of the State Council by "mandatory" review of all draft laws before issuing them. The administrative judiciary is not binding on the parliament, which is the problem presented to the parliament after the approval of the Tiran and Sanafir Islands Convention, which the Administrative Court ruled null and void.

Not adjustable
The expected constitutional amendments have been widely rejected by politicians, jurists, journalists and activists across platforms, which have become more frequent.

The "No Amendment to the Constitution" was issued to call for opposition parties to move and unite to face the extension of the Sisi mandate, while others considered the amendment to be the end of Sisi's rule.

While the media saw a celebration of the supporters of the Sisi amendments and what it means to strengthen the powers of the Sisi and stay for a longer period, has also seen some talk about what they called "curse of the Constitution," which hit former presidents manipulated the Constitution, and benefited others and the amendment was painful.