Egyptian Lawmakers Approve the Extension of President El-Sissis’s Term Limit

Egyptian lawmakers on Thursday 15 voted overwhelmingly to extend term limits for President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi until 2034.

Part of a package of constitutional amendments also set to further enshrine the military’s role in politics that will now face a national referendum.

Parliament Speaker Ali Abdelaal said that Of the 596-seat Parliament, 485 lawmakers backed the amendments, which could see the former general ruling for the length of four US presidential terms, in addition to the nearly five years he’s already spent in office.

However, critics of the move argue that Egypt slowly slipping back into authoritarianism, eight years after a pro-democracy uprising ended autocrat Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade rule, and nearly six years after El-Sissi led a popular military overthrow of the country’s first freely elected but divisive Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, after protests against his rule.

Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Al said the motion would now be forwarded to the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee for 60 days before returning to Parliament for a final vote followed by the referendum, which is likely to take place before early May, the start of Ramadan.

The vote on Thursday 15 happened after three rounds of deliberations among representative lawmakers that began the previous day.

Only few were seen to oppose the plan focusing the El-Sissi or the millitary.

Since taking office, El-Sissi has had an unprecedented crackdown on dissent, opposition and civil liberties, justifying his unique leadership as necessary to bring stability and economic growth.

Critics have continued to argue that this move will only slow the growth of Egypt to Democracy.

 

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