(AFP File Photo)
Amendments to the constitution will be complete by 3 December, according to Constituent Assembly spokesman Mohamed Al-Salmawy.
In a Monday press conference, Al-Salmawy gave an update on the progress of the assembly tasked with altering the 2012 constitution. The assembly is in the process of drafting articles, and has drafted around 190 of the total 200 articles, he said. Al-Salmawy reiterated that only voting members of the committee are involved in the drafting process, which excludes alternates.
Al-Salmawy also detailed a disagreement between the voting blocs of the Coptic Church and Al-Azhar over specific articles. While declining to say which articles were in dispute, Al-Salmawy confirmed it was not articles two and three, which address the role of religion in the state. The two sides are making progress toward coming to an agreement, he said.
The amendment of the constitution has faced repeated delays. In a 7 October statement, Al-Salmawy said the drafting process would be completed by Eid Al-Adha—a deadline which has passed.
“The drafting committee will commence to evaluate all constitutional articles in closed sessions with members of the committee, eventually presenting the whole constitution in front of the general assembly,” said Al-Salmawy in the 7 October statement.
The sections of the constitution that remain incomplete address articles related to the Armed Forces and the judiciary, said Al-Salmawy.
