Egypt gears up for referendum on extending Sisi’s rule today
cairo — In a referendum, Egyptians are to start voting on Saturday on constitutional amendments that extend President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s rule until at least 2024.
The vote running from April 20 to 22 was officially announced on Wednesday, a day after parliament overwhelmingly approved the changes extending presidential terms from four to six years.
The amendments — widely expected to pass in the face of minimal opposition — would prolong Sisi’s current term to 2024 from 2022 and allow him to then run for another six-year term.
They also include giving the military greater influence in political life, granting Sisi wide control over the judiciary and broadening the jurisdiction of military courts over civilians.
Egypt has been preparing for the referendum at the same time as parliament debated the amendments since the start of April.
Banners and billboards have gone up across the capital Cairo in the past weeks urging people to take part.
Many carry slogans implicitly urging people to back the amendments by doing “the right thing”, while others sponsored by the progovernment Nation’s Future party call outright for a “Yes” vote.
MP Mohamed Abu Hamed, who pushed for the constitutional amendments to keep Sisi in power, is adamant the changes are needed to allow the president to complete political and economic reforms.
Sisi “took important political, economic and security measures... (and) must continue with his reforms”, in the face of the unrest gripping neighbouring countries, the deputy said.
Sisi won his first term as president in 2014, three years after the uprising that toppled Mubarak, and was re-elected in March 2018 with more than 97 per cent of the vote, after standing virtually unopposed.
Other constitutional amendments include a quota for women’s representation of no less than 25 per cent in parliament and forming a second parliamentary chamber.
Parliament’s small opposition “25-30 Alliance” is urging Egypt’s electorate to reject the amendments. —