A battle in Egypt calling for new constitutional amendments in 2019 to allow the president assume office for an unlimited period of time, flared up on Sunday a dispute between political, parliamentary and media parties.
The battle heated up on Sunday following an editorial written by chairman of the state-owned Al-Akhbar newspaper, Yasser Rizk, who called for the amendment of some constitutional articles “now, and during the current parliamentary round.”
“We do not have the luxury of wasting more time before kicking off a political reform operation this year,” he wrote.
Rizk had caused dispute last week when he wrote a column voicing hope that 2019 would see "the start of a belated political reform" to secure Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s future in power.
He said this would "preserve all the people's gains in terms of security, stability and economic recovery" since Sisi came to power five years ago.
Currently, the Cairo Court of Urgent Matters is considering a case filed by a number of Egyptian lawyers that the parliament's move to amend the constitution will allow the president to assume office for an unlimited period of time.
According to article 140, 'The president of the republic is elected for a period of four calendar years, commencing on the day the term of his predecessor ends. The president may only be re-elected once.”
The Cairo Court of Urgent Matters had postponed the viewing of the lawsuit to 20 January.
In an interview in 2017 with CNBC, Sisi publicly said he will not seek a third term in office, asserting that he respects the country's constitution and will not interfere with it.
Journalist for Al-Masry Al-Youm criticized in an article published Sunday any attempt to amend the Constitution and said Sisi respects the succession of power.
