Secretary General of the National Democratic Party Safwat El-Sherif on Monday said that the People's Assembly will complete the constitutional amendments on March 20. A public referendum will be held in April on these amendments, he pointed out at a meeting with NDP female members from 13 governorates, who are attending a training course in Cairo.

A central operations theatre is set up at the NDP HQ in Cairo and similar others will be set up in the NDP branches in the governorates in a bid to educate the public on the importance of these amendments and the necessity of going to the polling stations for voting, he added.

As for calls on amending Article 2 of the constitution stating that Islamic Sharia is the main source of legislations, Sherif said this article is not subject to amendment.

Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria himself is against amending this article, said Sherif, adding that the constitution guarantees the right of citizenship.

The constitutional amendments are reflecting a popular request since they came as part of President Hosni Mubarak's electoral platform.

President Mubarak, said Sherif, has already asserted that Article 2 of he Constitution will not be amended in an effort to maintain Egypt's unity and identity and protect it against seditions.

Sherif referred to President Mubarak's statement and his electoral program's items which affirm that it was not permitted to infringe on the second article of the Constitution stipulating that the State's religion is Islam, while the Islamic Sharia (Law) principles are the main source of legislation.