The Egyptian lower house of parliament People's Assembly on
Monday approved the amendment of 34 constitutional articles, the
Egyptian official MENA news agency reported.
The amendments of 34 constitutional articles was approved by the
454-seat People's Assembly with a vote of 315 in favor and is
scheduled to go to a nationwide referendum due in early April,
parliament speaker Fathi Sorour announced.
Originally scheduled on Tuesday, the People's Assembly's vote on
the constitutional amendments came a day earlier than expected
after hours of discussion.
On Dec. 26 last year, Mubarak proposed amendments of 34
constitutional articles to introduce comprehensive reforms to
guarantee more democratic freedoms in the country.
The amendments, the first major change in the constitution since
1971, cover the optimal election system and representation of
political parties at the parliament and empowerment of women and
ban the formation of political parties based on religious
denomination.
Officially banned in 1954 for its attempt to set up an Islamic
government, Egypt's largest Islamic opposition group Muslim
Brotherhood has 88 seats in the People's Assembly after its members
ran as independents in the 2005 legislative election.
(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2007)
