As mass protests rock other Arab countries, a snap referendum in Egypt has gone against the grain and cemented President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s rule for years to come.
The three-day ballot saw constitutional changes sail through that allow the former military chief to stay in power until 2030, boost his control over the judiciary and give the army even greater influence in political life.
Officials said more than 88 percent of ballots cast were for “yes.”
After years of turmoil that saw the ouster of long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak and his successor Mohammed Mursi, stability remains a priority for many Egyptians, said Timothy Kaldas, a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.
“Undoubtedly some still support El-Sisi and believe that he has prevented Egypt from suffering the fate of neighbors,” he said.
“For most Egyptians, they believe they’ve overthrown two presidents and seen their quality of life get worse each time, so there’s little faith that a third uprising will improve the situation.”
Around 27 million votes were cast, with a turnout rate of 44.33 percent, at the referendum after it was called and held within a matter of days.
The amendments prolong El-Sisi’s current term to 2024 from 2022 and allow him to then run for another six-year term.
“The country is on the right track and it’s stable… it’s logical that El-Sisi is given his full chance to finish what he started,” said Mervat Abdel Fattah, a housewife in her 50s.
After the result state television broadcast images of El-Sisi supporters waving flags and blaring national tunes in Tahrir Square — the site of angry protests that toppled his two predecessors.
The opposition’s lack of political power and the absence of “a unified stance on the referendum” helped El-Sisi to an easy win, said Ziad Aqel, political sociology expert at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.
Especially when coupled with “mobilization” at the ballot box by state bodies, he added.
The New York-based Soufan Center said before the vote that the amendments helped “solidify El-Sisi’s grip” on Egyptian politics.
As army chief of staff at the time, El-Sisi led the military’s overthrow of Mursi in 2013 following mass protests against Mursi’s rule.
El-Sisi won his first term as president in 2014, three years after the uprising that toppled Mubarak, and was re-elected in March 2018 with more than 97 percent of the vote, after standing virtually unopposed.