After the Last Judgment: The Future of the Egyptian Constitution

Abstract:     
With the recent resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt is now presented with the challenge of reform to overcome the authoritarian legacy of the past and be a role model for the Arab world. This article by Adrien K. Wing and Hisham A. Kassim focuses on one subset of the reforms being advocated - amending the Egyptian Constitution. This article primarily focuses on proposed amendments that relate to limiting presidential power: Articles 76, 77, 88, 139, and 148.

The article begins with a brief overview of the Egyptian Constitution. It continues with a discussion of some of the main amendments that the Egyptian Constitutional Amendment Committee proposed and that were recently adopted by public referendum. The authors then advocate a few additional amendments that Egypt should consider after parliamentary elections take place. These recommendations mainly concern enhancing the role of the legislature in Egypt and ensuring better representation of Egyptians in their parliament. The authors also comment on the need for further reform to limit the executive from excessive intrusion and meddling in the future parliament.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 11

Keywords: Egypt, Egyptian Constitution, Human Rights, Islam, Comparative Law, State Building, Mubarak, Egyptian Reform, Limit Presidential Power, Egypt Future, Egypt Public Referendum, Egypt Democracy

JEL Classification: K10, K49, K30, K39

Accepted Paper Series