Sisi could rule Egypt until 2030 under Constitutional Changes

MPs to vote on granting president control over judiciary and boosting military power

Ruth Michaelson in Cairo

 

Sisi’s attempt to extend his power comes at the same time as autocrats in Sudan and Algeria fell to popular protests. Photograph: Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images Egypt’s parliament is to vote on a bill of sweeping constitutional changes this week that would increase President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s power and allow him to rule until 2030.

 

MPs are expected to overwhelmingly confirm the bill on Tuesday, triggering a referendum. The proposed reforms, which were moved swiftly through committee hearings and parliamentary debates, would grant Sisi control over the judiciary, increase the military’s political power and extend presidential terms to six years.
The former general, who became president in 2014 after a coup the previous year, was re-elected in 2018 with 97.8% of the vote. His attempt to extend his rule comes as autocrats in neighbouring Sudan and Algeria have fallen to popular protests after decades in power.

Posters urging Egyptians to vote yes to the proposed changes began appearing across Cairo more than a week ago. “A bright future, a better tomorrow,” declared one poster. “Yes to the constitutional amendments. Yes to stability and development,” extolled another, showing Sisi’s face and a bright red tick within an ornate frame.

No banners showing dissent were visible on the streets, and members of the country’s fragile opposition said they were prevented from campaigning openly.

 “Right now the country needs stability, and from what I understand, these constitutional amendments will bring stability,” said Mohamed al-Sharkawi, a restaurant owner who hung a banner of support for a yes vote in his restaurant.

During a hearing in February, 485 out of 596 MPs voted to advance the bill. What little criticism was permitted in previous debate stages, during which one MP described the changes as “medieval” and said they would aid autocratic rule, has since been all but silenced.

Egypt’s only independent media outlet, Mada Masr, said a national dialogue on the changes included only those who “appear to have been hand-picked to include no opposition voices”.

Instead, most MPs restricted their criticisms to a package of proposed changes designed to sweeten the vote, such as introducing a 25% quota of parliamentary seats for women.

Khaled Dawoud, of the opposition Constitution party, said the sudden support for a referendum that had yet to be declared “proves the entire process is a ploy and that the result is known in advance. It’s not just that a date hasn’t been set, but even the final draft of the amendments hasn’t yet been approved by parliament.”

A coalition of the Constitution party and the Civil Democratic Movement which was created to oppose the changes said its attempts to show dissent had been suffocated. Ten Constitution party members were arrested for opposing the amendments. “A total of nearly 120 people were arrested from legal opposition parties and other pro-democracy groups,” Dawoud said.