Shura Council Speaker Safwat El-Sherif said President Hosni Mubarak has opened by amending Article 76 of the Constitution, the door to political progress in Egypt.

By so doing, he imposed on the society a type of political activity, openness and wide discussions, he told Lebanese satellite channel NBC Monday night.

Amending Article 76 has allowed the election of the president among other nominees in competitive elections, and the president launched political reform, as part of his election platform, involving specific constitutional changes to promote the civil state and the value of citizenship, he said. Mubarak wanted to give the Parliament a stronger role, he added.

Responding to a question on accusations that the constitutional amendments were sought to shun certain risks, Speaker Safwat El-Sherif said the previous amendments of Constitutional Article 76 came before parliamentary polls and the election of some independent MPs. This fact shows that the National Democratic Party was not seeking certain gains by the amendments, he said.

Egypt's Permanent Constitution was issued in 1971, said Sherif, noting that previous constitutions were transitional. The constitution was first amended in 1980, he said, adding that the amendment of article 76 in 2005 was the second