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In two letters submitted to the People’s Assembly and Shura Council on Tuesday President Hosni Mubarak called for 34 amendments to the constitution. “Egypt,” said Mubarak, “has not seen such a number of proposals since 1980.” In the next three months, the Assembly and Council will be busy drafting the amendments before they are put to the public in a referendum early April.The proposed amendments fall into four groups and reflect the nine-point objectives set out in Mubarak’s 2005 presidential election programme.

The first group includes 10 articles — 1, 4, 5, 12 (first paragraph), 24, 30, 33, 37, 56 (second paragraph), 73 and 180 (first paragraph) — and focuses on ridding the constitution of the socialist framework promulgated in the 1960s. Article 95 will also be reworded.

The second group deals with election procedures and will change the regulations governing candidacy for parliamentary elections in addition to fixing a quota of parliamentary seats for women. Articles 62, 94 and 88 fall into this batch.

Nineteen articles covering the presidential prerogatives, the powers of the executive and the running of presidential elections will also be changed, including Article 76. The balance between the president and executive, legislative and judicial powers will alter as the office of the president loses some powers in favour of the cabinet and the People’s Assembly. A new anti- terrorism law will also be promulgated.

Article 5 will also be amended in a way that formalises the ban on parties based on religion, race and lineage.

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