Egypt constitutional changes face a weekend referendum

The passage of constitutional amendments that could allow Egypt’s president to stay in office until 2030 was put on a fast track yesterday, with tomorrow set as the start of a referendum.

Egypt’s National Election Commission announced that the poll of all Egyptians over the amendments will be heldtomorrow, Saturday and Sunday for those living abroad. At home, voting will take place on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

The announcement of the dates came less than 24 hours after the 596-seat parliament that overwhelmingly backs President Abdel Fattah El Sisi voted by a large majority in favour of the proposals. Only 22 opposed the changes, with one abstention.

For over a week, the capital city of Cairo and major urban centres across the country have been festooned with banners and billboards calling on Egyptians to “do the right thing” and back the changes.

While it is difficult to predict the scale of such a vote with any accuracy in a country where reliable opinion polls don’t exist, a majority yes vote is a virtual certainty in this case given the state’s vast resources will be rolled out to drum up support for the amendments.

But the issue for the government will be to ensure a respectable turn-out to avoid questions of legitimacy.

“Great people of Egypt, the nation is calling on you to continue to build democracy and give your opinion on the constitutional amendments,” said Lasheen Ibrahim, head of the election commission.

Some of the amendments included in the changes are also likely to help secure a yes vote, such as allocating 25 per cent of parliament’s seats to women, that will appeal to female and progressive voters.

Mr El Sisi has, in his five years in office, gone to great lengths to voice his support for the empowerment of women and defend them against harassment, a widespread problem in Egypt. He has a record six women in the cabinet.

Ensuring suitable representation in parliament for minorities, Egyptian expatriates and people with special needs will probably deliver more tallies for the “yes” column.

Mr El Sisi has also endeared himself to Christians, who account for about 10 per cent of Egypt’s 100 million people. He has eased restrictions on the building of new churches or the renovation of existing ones and also insisted that new cities under construction have a sufficient number of Christian places of worship.

Many in the Christian community also revere Mr El Sisi for the 2013 removal of a divisive Islamist president they feared would disenfranchise them.

But not everyone backs the bill. The few opposition MPs who do not support the president were vocal in their criticism ahead of Tuesday night’s parliamentary vote.

Opposition legislators have called the endeavour a slide back to the authoritarian 29year rule of Hosni Mubarak, given the extension of presidential terms.

The proposed changes would extend the president’s time in office from four to six years, but maintain the two-term cap for the top job. However, they introduce a new clause that is tailor-made for Mr El Sisi, retrospectively extending his present four-year term to six years and allowing him to run for another six-year term in 2024.

“These amendments are not in the interest of the country or the Egyptians,” opposition politician Haytham Al Hariri said before Tuesday’s voting began.

“We are bigger than tailormaking the constitution for the benefit of a specific person.”

Mohammed Abdel-Ghani, another opposition MP, said the amendments concentrate power in the hands of the executive.

For more than a week Egypt’s cities have been festooned with banners calling for citizens to ‘do the right thing’