President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi
The Egyptian law- maker behind a call to amend the constitution to extend the president’s term by two years said in comments published yesterday [Macau time] that the change won’t apply to President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s current four-
year term, a partial turnaround in the face of growing opposition to the idea.
El-Sissi has 10 months left in his first term in office. He is barred by the constitution from serving more than two four-year terms. Any amendment to the relevant clause in the 2014 charter must be approved in a nationwide referendum.
Lawmaker Ismail Nasreldeen said in comments published in the independent daily Al-Shorouk that the proposed amendment would apply to the next president. El-Sissi is widely expected to run in 2018.
His proposal, first made several months ago, suspended and then renewed this month, has been embraced by parliament’s largest pro-government bloc. It has been met with vociferous opposition from political commentators, even those who write for the pro-government local media, who fear that amending the constitution is a prelude to dictatorship.
