BICOM

Egyptian voters yesterday approved new constitutional amendments that could mean President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi remains President until 2030.

National Election Authority head Lashin Ibrahim said that 88.83 per cent of voters approved the constitutional amendments, the equivalent of 23.4 million voters. Turnout during the three-day vote was 44.33 per cent, with 11.17 per cent voting against the amendments.

The 14 constitutional amendments will extend presidential term limits from four to six years, increase the role of the Egyptian military, and grant the president more control over the judiciary and legislative branch. They were overwhelming approved by Egypt’s parliament last week with 531 out of 596 lawmakers voting in favour.

The State Information Service issued a statement on Tuesday celebrating “the integrity of the referendum procedures” and noted that voters had merely been encouraged to vote, not to vote a certain way. The agency added that criticisms of the amendments in the media were “worthless false readings”.

Reuters reported that opposition activists accused Sisi’s government of pressuring people to vote in its favour. Ahmed al-Tantawi, an opposition parliamentarian, said voters faced intimidation and “vote buying.”

President Sisi tweeted minutes after the results were announced: “Wonderful scene done by Egyptians who took part in the referendum … will be written down in our nation’s historical record.” Sisi began his first term as President in 2014 and his second term in February this year. The amendment will extend his current term from four to six years and allow him to stand again for a second six year term in 2024.

Elham Eidarous, an activist who belongs to the opposition Bread and Freedom party, told the New York Times: “It’s worse now than [President] Mubarak. Anyone who talks about optimism is either lying or naïve, because there’s nothing optimistic about this situation.”

A group of US Senators recently sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressing concern about the administration’s silence on human rights abuses in Egypt.

“I don’t know about the effort,” US President Donald Trump said when asked about the constitutional amendments in his meeting with Sisi earlier this month. “I can just tell you he is doing a great job.” Egypt is one of the largest recipients of US aid receiving approximately $1.38bn each year.