Egypt’s parliament approved changes to the national constitution on Thursday that would allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to remain in office until 2034.
Under the rules implemented shortly before he took power in 2014, Sisi would complete his current term in 2022 and would not be allowed to run again.
The amendment package passed with 485 out of 596 votes. It must still pass review by a legislative committee within 60 days and win a national referendum, but neither of these hurdles is expected to block the changes.
The amended constitution changes presidential terms from four to six years, preserving the two-term limit for everyone except Sisi, who receives special permission to run for two full six-year terms after his current four-year term ends.
Sisi has not declared his intention to run for office again, but he also has not ruled it out. Last year, he said he wanted to keep the existing four-year terms for the presidency, although he indicated he would respect “the will of the Egyptian people” if they voted for a constitutional change.
The amendments also give the presidency more power over the judiciary, including judicial appointments, and limit the power of judges to review legislation unless specifically requested by parliament.
Parliament itself is subjected to several new controls, including a 450-seat cap on the upper chamber and the reinstatement of a lower chamber with 250 members, one-third of them directly appointed by the president.
The upper chamber would be subjected to controls that supposedly ensure “adequate representation” for various groups, one of them being women, who would receive a hard quota of 25 percent of the seats. Critics of the legislation dismissed its protections for women and minority groups, prominently including Egyptian Christians, as cynical pandering to win support for the upcoming referendum. READ MORE
