Egypt amendments on presidential term headed to referendum

CAIRO — Egypt’s parliament on Tuesday passed amendments to the constitution that could see President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi remain in power until 2030.

The vote, which sends the amendments to a national referendum, was seen by critics as another step back to authoritarianism, eight years after a pro-democracy uprising ended autocrat Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade rule.

The 596-member assembly, packed with el-Sissi’s supporters, overwhelmingly gave its initial approval in February, sending it to the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee to finalize the wording before Tuesday’s final vote.

The national referendum will likely take place before early May when the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts.

Since early April, the Egyptian capital has been awash with large posters and banners encouraging people to vote in favor of the changes.

The constitutional changes would only extend a president’s term in office from four to six years and allow for a maximum of two terms. But they also include a special article specific to el-Sissi that extends his current second four-year term to six years and allows him to run for another six-year term in 2024.

El-Sissi was elected president first in 2014 and re-elected to another four-year term last year after all potentially serious challengers were arrested or pressured to withdraw from the race.

In the past three years, over 15,000 civilians, including children, have been referred to military prosecution in Egypt, according to Human Rights Watch.