A group attached to the 50-member constitutional amendment committee has approved keeping the Shura Council as Egypt's upper house of parliament in the new Constitution.

 

A government sub-committee announced the draft decision on Monday.

 

The new Shura Council will be called "The Senate" in the new document, according to committee representative Mohamed Abdel Aziz. Two-thirds of the council's members will be elected, while a third of them will be appointed.

 

A source within the constitutional body said the Shura Council will be handed new powers, including the ability to hold the government accountable. The council had only ever been entitled to request debates and suggest proposals in the past, the source claimed.

 

The lower house of parliament, the People's Assembly, has also undergone a change of name. It will be called the House of Representatives, as stated in the 2012 Constitution.

 

Quotas in the Senate have been dedicated to a few groups, including women, Copts, youth, workers and peasants.

 

The president of the republic shall automatically become a member of the Senate, after leaving presidency, according to the draft.

 

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm