Egyptians have begun voting in a referendum on proposed constitutional amendments that could see President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s rule extended to 2030.
State television on Saturday showed images of Sisi casting his ballot at a polling station in the eastern suburb of Heliopolis.
Egypt’s parliament had on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly in favour of the changes, which include allowing the general-turned-president to extend his current term by two years and stand for another six-year-mandate, potentially extending his rule until 2030.
The 596-member assembly is packed with Sisi supporters, with 531 of the 554 legislators who attended the vote opting in favour of the constitutional changes.
The ballot will run between April 20-22 and will also see voters decide on whether an upper parliamentary chamber should be created.
Sisi’s government has been repeatedly criticised by human rights organisations for alleged repression of political opponents.
‘Contempt for rights’
In a statement on Tuesday, Amnesty International said the proposed constitutional amendments would “facilitate the authorities’ crackdown on freedom of expression, association and assembly, erode people’s rights, and exacerbate the human rights crisis in the country”.
“The decision to put these amendments to the constitution to a public referendum, amid the worst crackdown on freedom of expression and severe restrictions on political parties and independent media, demonstrates the Egyptian government’s contempt for the rights of all people in Egypt,” said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty’s deputy Middle East and North Africa director.
Sisi, 64, was re-elected in March 2018 with more than 97 percent of the vote, in a ballot boycotted by large swaths of the country’s political opposition after several potential candidates dropped out citing intimidation or were arrested.
Only one other candidate, himself an ardent Sisi supporter, opposed the incumbent. Mousa Mostafa Mousa had endorsed Sisi for a second term and even organised events to help nominate the former military commander up until a week before the nomination deadline.
Eliminating the opposition
The election commission said last year’s vote was held according to the “highest international standards of integrity and transparency”, but rights groups including international NGO Human Rights Watch criticised the ballot as neither “free nor fair”.
“I think you have to take votes that are held in military dictatorships with several grains of salt,” said Mohamad Elmasry, associate professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.
“Egypt has eliminated the opposition; it’s an environment of repression and fear. People are terrified to vote and express dissent.”
“In the lead up to this vote, more than 120 people have been arrested for campaigning for the ‘no vote’. We have to remember there are no independent monitors so the government is free to rig the results.
