Egypt’s parliament has approved a series of highly controversial amendments to the constitution, paving the way for a referendum next week on the changes in spite of protests from opposition groups.

Government officials insist the amendments – the most wide-ranging to the charter since it was drafted in 1971 – are intended to open up political space. But opposition groups and human rights activists argue they are designed to weaken the opposition further, erode civil rights and consolidate ”dictatorship”.