Egyptians Approve Amendment to Extend Presidential Rule

By Egyptain Approves President Cairo [Egypt], Apr 24 (ANI): Around 90 per cent of Egyptian voters have approved the constitutional amendments that would allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to stay in power till 2030, Egypt's Election Commission said."These [changes] are effective from now as your constitution," the Election Commission's chairman Lasheen Ibrahim told a press conference on Tuesday.In his first public remarks on the amendments, el-Sisi thanked the Egyptian people for voting."Wonderful scene was done by Egyptians who took part in the referendum ... will be written down in our nation's historical record," he tweeted minutes after the results were announced.Nearly 88.4 per cent of people that total around 23.4 million voted in favour during the three-day referendum that culminated Tuesday. Earlier, the president could only contest for a maximum for two terms in which each term varies from four to six years. However, the amendment will allow el-Sisi to contest again in 2024. The amendments will reportedly bolster the role of the military.Opposition parties and the various advocacy groups have alleged el-Sisi for using state machinery to cling to power. El-Sisi, a former army general, was elected president in 2014 after Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first civilian, democratically elected president, was toppled in a coup the previous year. (ANI)

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