Egypt's ruling generals have unveiled a package of far-reaching constitutional reforms, following mounting criticism of their handling of the country's post-Mubarak transition period.

A committee of legal experts appointed by the interim government has proposed changes to eight articles of the Egyptian constitution, which will be put to a national referendum next month. The amendments would create new term limits on the presidency, make it easier for Egyptians to run for president, ensure stronger judicial oversight of elections and restrict the government's power to maintain emergency laws – all ahead of a general election expected later this year.

Committee member Sobhi Saleh, a lawyer who has previously represented the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement in parliament, described the amendments as a historic achievement. "I am very satisfied," he said.

The announcement comes at a critical time for the armed forces, following violent street clashes in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday between soldiers and pro-change demonstrators. They were calling for the resignation of interim prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, who was a cabinet member under Hosni Mubarak and is closely associated with the old regime. Military police who used stun guns and batons to attack those rallying in the capital.

Senior generals later offered a semi-apology for the assault, insisting the aggression was "unintentional", but that has done little to reassure protesters, some of whom are now comparing the military to Mubarak's much-hated central security forces. "The army and the police are one," claimed one activist, deliberately inverting a popular protest chant during the anti-Mubarak uprising that declared "the army and the people are one".

The military remains a popular institution in Egypt for its role in defending the nation during wars in 1956 and 1973, and bound emotionally to many families through a policy of national conscription. But many of those who initially welcomed the generals' takeover following Mubarak's downfall are now having second thoughts because an emerging body of evidence suggests the army has been complicit in torture and other human rights abuses during the unrest, and because of the supreme military council's growing intolerance of strikes and apparent unwillingness to confront lasting remnants of the Mubarak regime.

"I'm not sure how long the Egyptian public can maintain the bizarre idea that the army is so great," said Issandr El Amrani, a political analyst and blogger based in Egypt. "This is the army that took power in a coup in 1952 and ended political pluralism, lost tons of wars after that and continued to justify its predation on the national budget despite not having had to fight anyone since 1973."

The process of amending the constitution has been criticised by many of the protesters who helped end Mubarak's three-decade rule and who wish to see a new constitution written from scratch.

Such a move has been resisted so far by the armed forces but, in an attempt to appease critics, the supreme military council said parliament would be formally mandated to draft a completely new constitution after the next election.

"What is needed now is to scrap the existing constitution, not to amend it," said Bahieddin Hassan, director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, who has warned that Egypt is in danger of falling prey to "neo-Mubarakism".

"No amendments, however extensive, would be enough to salvage it because the philosophy and spirit of the constitution are diametrically opposed to democratic values and human rights. The present constitution can only encourage despotism."

Amrani agrees: "Although the amendments may signal some great improvements … it will also deliver the interim military government a clear public mandate. You can expect millions of Egyptians voting overwhelmingly in favour of the amended constitution, delivering a clear sign of public support for the transition model chosen by the military. It will then be difficult for opposition groups to challenge the army, which can point to this popular mandate as the source of its legitimacy."