Egyptians overwhelmingly approved constitutional changes over the weekend that could see incumbent President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi remain in power until 2030. The constitutional changes will extend the president’s current term for another two years until 2024 and allow him to run for a third term as well as strengthening the role of the military (MEES, 19 April).
The electoral commission announced that 88.83% of the public, both at home and abroad, voted in favor of the changes with a 44% turnout. Questions have been raised over the speed with which around 27 million votes were counted, with polls closing less than 24 hours before the final result was announced on 23 April. (CONTINUED - 146 WORDS)