Egypt Referendum Firms Up Sisi Rule As Regional Unrest Flares

Cairo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Apr, 2019 ) :As mass protests rock other Arab countries, a snap referendum in Egypt has gone against the grain and cemented President Abdel Fattah al-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.

Amid criticism that Sisi has silenced opposition and cracked down on freedoms, officials said more than 88 percent of ballots cast were for "yes".

The government has "made sure Egyptians don't see any credible alternative to Sisi so that they don't start to imagine an Egypt that is ruled by anyone else," said Timothy Kaldas, a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for middle East Policy.

The vote in the Arab world's most populous country came on the heels of uprisings that have forced veteran leaders in Algeria and Sudan to step down earlier this month.