Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi signed a decree on Tuesday appointing a new chairman of the Supreme Constitutional Court.

According to the Al-Ahram newspaper, for the first time in the history of the country, the court will be headed by an Egyptian Christian, 65-year-old Boulos Fahmi Iskandar, TASS reports.

Boulos Fahmi was Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Constitutional Court in 2010-2012, then headed the Capital Court of Cassation for a short time, and in 2014 he returned to his previous position.

The Supreme Constitutional Court is an independent judicial authority that ensures control over the observance of the constitutionality of laws and regulations, and is also authorized, in the manner of its competence, to resolve disputes between the judiciary and entities with judicial powers.

In accordance with constitutional amendments approved in a 2019 referendum, the president of the country received the authority to appoint judges of the Supreme Constitutional Court, choosing from among the five longest-serving deputies. The head of the court is appointed for four years, upon reaching retirement age, a replacement is selected for him.