The Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt is the fundamental law of
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
.
The Egyptian Constitution of 2014 was passed in a
referendum in January 2014. The constitution took effect after the results were announced on 18 January 2014. A
constitutional amendments referendum was held from 20 to 22 April 2019.
Background
In July 2013, after the
ousting of former President
Mohammed Morsi
Mohamed Mohamed Morsi Eissa al-AyyatThe spellings of his first and last names vary. survey of 14 news organizations plus Wikipedia in July 2012military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
announced the schedule for the development of the constitution, with the vote to occur around the end of November 2013. Two different committees were involved in amending the
2012 constitution. The constitution replaces the
Egyptian Constitution of 2012
The Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt was the former fundamental law of Egypt. It was signed into law by President Mohamed Morsi on 26 December 2012, after it was approved by the Constituent Assembly on 30 November 2012 and passed in ...
which came into effect under Morsi.
Contents
The constitution adopted in 2014, like the constitution drafted under Morsi, is based on the
Egyptian Constitution of 1971
The Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt was the former constitution of Egypt. It was adopted on 11 September 1971 through a public referendum. It was later amended in 1980, 2005, and 2007. It was proclaimed to update the democratic repr ...
.
The 2014 constitution sets up a president and parliament.
The president is elected to a four-year term and may serve 2 terms.
The parliament may impeach the president.
Under the constitution, there is a guarantee of equality between the sexes and an absolute freedom of belief, but Islam is the state religion.
The military retains the ability to appoint the national Minister of Defense for the next 8 years.
Under the constitution, political parties may not be based on "religion, race, gender or geography";
the law regarding Egyptian political parties that regulated the
2011-2012 parliamentary elections included a similar clause prohibiting religious parties, though it was not enforced. The document, whilst it does proclaim an absolute
freedom of expression
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
, that freedom is often subject to exceptions leading to legal consequences often targeting public supporters of the
LGBTQ+ community
The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and social ...
.
The constitution protects texts pertaining to presidency terms, freedoms and equality from being amended in an
entrenched clause
An entrenched clause or entrenchment clause of a constitution is a provision that makes certain amendments either more difficult or impossible to pass. Overriding an entrenched clause may require a supermajority, a referendum, or the consent of the ...
in article 226, except with more guarantees.
Reception
In 2014, the constitution was criticized by the
Revolutionary Socialists
The Revolutionary Socialists ( ar, الاشتراكيون الثوريون; ) (RS) are a Trotskyist organisation in Egypt originating in the tradition of 'Socialism from Below'. Leading RS members include sociologist Sameh Naguib. The organisatio ...
and the
Road of the Revolution Front
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
,
who perceived it as leaving too much power in the hands of the military.
See also
*
History of the Egyptian Constitution
The Constitution of Egypt has passed over a long period of evolution from the liberal constitution of 1923 to the contemporary constitution.
Ancient Egypt
Egypt is known for having one of the earliest administrative and legislative codes in his ...
References
External links
Unofficial translation of the 2014 constitutionOfficial 2014 constitution
{{Authority control
2014 in Egypt
Constitutions of Egypt
2014 documents
2014 in law
Egyptian Crisis (2011–2014)