A popular referendum over the constitutional amendments has been decided on March 19, Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said on Friday.

The referendum, expected to last from local time 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) to 7 p.m. (1700 GMT), will decide the amendments of articles about presidential candidacy and terms, judicial monitoring on elections, membership of the People's Assembly and others.

The constitutional draft changes included the president's term reduced to four years and a two term limit on the president, as compared to the current presidential term, which is up to six years without any limit on terms.

The upcoming referendum also includes the cancellation of article 179 about the president's right to refer any terrorism crime to concerned jurisdiction body stipulated in the constitution.

Article 189, over the mechanism of amending the constitution, will also be subject to the referendum.

Egyptian citizens will use their national ID cards to participate in the referendum of constitutional amendments and the coming parliamentary and presidential elections, security sources said on Thursday.