Egypt clears way for el-Sissi to rule till 2034

CAIRO — The Egyptian Parliament approved sweeping measures on Thursday that would allow President Abdel-Fattah el Sissi to extend his term until 2034, further entrenching his authoritarian rule and enshrining in law the military’s dominance over the country.

The vote by Parliament, whose workings are quietly managed by el-Sissi’s intelligence agencies, sets in motion a fastmoving process of constitutional change that could culminate in a referendum within three months. The referendum’s approval is seen as a foregone conclusion.

The changes formally confirm what has become evident to many Egyptians for years: The sweeping euphoria of 2011, when protests led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, has given way to an even harsher brand of strongman rule under a leader who also intends to rule for decades, and perhaps for life.

Washington’s unquestioning embrace of el-Sissi, whom President Donald Trump has called a “great guy,” emboldened the Egyptian leader to act with little fear of American pushback.

But many other Egyptians could muster only a weary shrug. “I don’t really care,” said Daniel, 31, a Cairo shopkeeper. “Sissi’s going to stay in power anyway, amendments or not.”

The proposed changes would allow el-Sissi, who is scheduled to step down in 2022, to run for two more six-year terms and would demolish the constitutional safeguards he introduced in 2014, a year after he came to power in a military takeover.

El-Sissi would have the power to appoint judges and the country’s prosecutor general, while the top judiciary would be stripped of its ability to vet draft legislation.

In Parliament, 484 of 596 lawmakers approved the changes, starting a process of deliberation and debate that is expected to lead to a second, final vote two months from now. If that passes, a referendum would be held within one month, probably before the start of the holy month of Ramadan in early May.

In a letter, 10 Egyptian rights groups warned that the changes would permit el-Sissi to “retain power for life and exercise unprecedented unilateral authority.”

Supporters say that el-Sissi needs to extend his rule to introduce urgent economic reforms and to stabilize Egypt after the turbulence unleashed by the Arab Spring in 2011.