ICDS Monthly Forums

In the context of the political reform campaign, originally advocated by ICDS and the subsequent constitutional reform initiatives recently declared by the president, ICDS has convened four forums on the topic of "Constitutional Reform".

The first session maintained that the recent constitutional amendment of article 76 of the constitution by itself falls far short of the needed reform since it leaves in place constitutional articles that give the President absolute and wide- ranging unchecked powers to run for indefinite numbers of terms. Leftists' fear aborogation of the clauses in the current constitution which contain numerous advantages for the poorer sectors of society. But, this came under heavy criticism on grounds that it entrenched infelixibility and inefficiency in the economy with the result that the more vulnerable sectors of society were its greatest victims. Moreover, the widely held notion that constitutional amendment is a dangerous risk that could lead to anarchy and instability has been also discredited.

The second session discussed the essential goal of "Public Reform" as a prerequisite for making any effective constitutional reform. The discussion concluded that constitutional reform will be of little use so long as the public conduct remains plagued with negative phenomena such as corruption and other immoral diseases resulting from the absence of well-defined governing rules.

But in the third session however, the idea of setting "Public Reform" as a priority constituted an open –ended goal that would grant the regime an excuse for delaying meaningful political reform indefinitely. Moreover, the constitution being the father of laws that regulate social relations in any society, it may include all the needed rules governing public conduct in the new constitution. Most importantly, the recent constitutional amendment of article 76 should not be considered an end, but a staring point for more fundamental reforms.

The fourth session called for comprehensive constitutional reform since the current constitution contains a number of irrational rules that are not-consistent with the current political and economic realities in Egypt. For instance, it contains socialist rules that clearly contradict the current privatization and free market trends. Moreover, due to the enigmatic nature of the current constitution, it is difficult to scrupulously identify whether the current Egyptian system is a parliamentary or a presidential one.