Egypt paves the way for a new dictator

Egyptian lawmakers last week approved constitutional amendments that could see President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stay in power for another 15 years, raising concern about the country’s stability.

The revisions, which 485 of 596 members of Parliament voted for, extend the presidential term from four to six years, but it would still retain the two-term limit. But a special “transitional article” would allow al-Sisi to be elected for two more terms after his second term ends in 2022. His first term began in 2014 after his army led the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi.

The new amendments also place al-Sisi at the head of a new council that presides over judicial affairs. The president would also gain major control over the judiciary and the power to appoint top judges, including the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court.

Other constitutional revisions grant military courts wider jurisdiction in trying civilians and name the military the “guardian and protector” of the Egyptian state. The Parliament will hold a final vote after 60 days.

In a November 2017 interview with CNBC, al-Sisi said he had no plans to stay in power for another term: “It does not suit me as a president to stay one more day against the will of the Egyptians.” He has not spoken publicly about the issue since then, nor has he commented on the proposed amendments.

Al-Sisi’s government continues to face criticism for abusing its power. In January, Amnesty International accused the government of “an unprecedented attack” on freedom of expression, noting authorities arrested at least 113 people in 2018 for peacefully expressing their views.

In a rare public critique, lawmaker Ahmed Tantawi condemned the revisions. “We are placing absolute powers in the hands of one person … at a time when the people were expecting us to give them ‘bread, freedom, social justice, and human dignity,’” he said, using a slogan from the 2011 uprising.

Egyptian rights groups rejected the amendments as an opportunity to provide al-Sisi with unprecedented unilateral authority. “Not only do these individually tailored provisions flout fundamental legal precepts, they also upend the peaceful rotation of power championed by the Egyptian people in 2011 to prevent another decades-long dictatorial rule similar to that of former President Hosni Mubarak, toppled after 30 years in power,” the groups said in a joint statement.

Said Benarbia, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the International Commission of Jurists, warned the amendments could “undermine constitutional safeguards aimed at protecting the right of the Egyptian people to freely choose their government and to take part in the conduct of public affairs.”