News Analysis: Debate in Egypt over rising calls for pro-Sisi amendments of new constitution

"The new constitution was drafted in good faith, and countries are not built upon good faith only," said Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in mid-September, a few weeks ahead of the recently-concluded first stage of the country's first parliamentary elections under his rule.

Some zealous supporters of Sisi took his statements as a green light to lash out at the new constitution that was approved by the majority of voters in a referendum encouraged by Sisi himself in early 2014.

Although the constitution was passed about two years ago and is still idle due to the lack of parliament, Sisi's remarks made voices rise all of a sudden to consider the new constitution as "a trap" that might block the work of the president to build a prosperous, democratic, new Egypt.

"The House of Representatives can propose withdrawing confidence from the president and hold early presidential elections," says Article 161 of the constitution, provided the proposal is approved by two thirds of the parliament members.

The parliament is meant to be the voice of the people to supervise and monitor the work of the government and the president, yet the case seems to be different with the new parliament being elected with a low turnout in Egypt.

"I will support President Sisi through my membership in the House of Representatives and I support the amendment of the new constitution to maximize the president's authorities," said a new parliament member Mona Shaker, who won a seat in the first phase of the elections.

Although the coming parliament is likely to be a pro-Sisi one, not all parliament members think the same as Shaker, and many of them as well as many of Sisi's advocates believe that "tailoring" the constitution to be in favor of the president would do more harm than good.

"Despite my objections to some articles that restricts the president, yet I am against amending the constitution for the time being, as we need constitutional and legislative stability in the current stage," Mahmoud Bakry, editor-in-chief of El-Osboa local newspaper, told Xinhua.

Bakry argued that regardless of Sisi's remarks, "the legislative stability in the country is most important in this stage, in order to avoid unnecessary controversy over the credibility of elections and referendums."

The senior writer, also supporter of "For the Love of Egypt" party list running for the parliament, expects the coming parliamentarians to be more cooperative with Sisi and would not cause him any trouble or obstacles due to "the state of general satisfaction" with the president's performance.

Political writer and analyst Ammar Ali Hassan sees that talking about amending the constitution is ridiculous "while the ink with which the constitution is drafted hasn't yet been dried."

"The talk of constitutional amendments would increase the gap between the president and the political forces that supported him in confronting the Muslim Brotherhood group of the removed president," Hassan told Xinhua.

Hassan argued that the issue could raise doubts about intentions to pave the way for a reproduction a former authoritarian regime against which the Egyptians revolted.

Similarly, many other political experts believe that altering the constitution could lead to a political disorder that is not in favor of the country's best interests.

Saeed al-Lawindi, political researcher and expert at Cairo-based Al-Ahram Center for political and Strategic Studies, referred to the call for amending the constitution as "suspicious," arguing that those adopting the call only seek the presidency's pleasure for personal interests.

"The constitution approved by the majority of votes was not written by laymen sitting at coffee shops, but was drafted by jurists and constitutional and legal experts," Lawindi told Xinhua, adding that it should not be changed if the country seeks real development and transition to democracy.

After all, amending the constitution is not an easy task as some might think. There are many other key issues, tasks and responsibilities awaiting the coming parliament.

"The first task is to form a new government with the approval of the majority of the parliament members, unlike the previous governments formed in the absence of a parliament," Hussein Abdel-Razik, political expert and leading member of Tagammu Party, told Xinhua.

Egypt has been without a parliament for about three years, as the last one which was elected in late 2011, months after the ouster of long-time leader Hosni Mubarak, was dissolved in June 2012 by a court order. President Sisi has been holding the legislative authority amid lack of a parliament.

Article 156 of the new constitution states that all the bills issued by the president must be reviewed and approved by the new parliament within 15 days of its first assembly. If not, the power of their previous legal effect will automatically be dropped.

"Some of these laws were controversial, such as those anti-protest and anti-terrorism laws, so the parliament will be busy with greater tasks than constitutional amendments," Abdel-Razek added, describing amendment of the current constitution as "a step backward." Enditem