Egypt mulls giving Sisi another term

Supporters of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are calling for constitutional changes that would allow him to stay in power once his second term ends in 2022. Backers of the former military chief, re-elected in March with over 97 per cent of the vote, want parliament to discuss repealing an article limiting presidents to two consecutive four-year terms.

In an editorial published on Sunday, staterun daily newspaper Al-Akhbar voiced hope that 2019 would see “the start of a belated political reform” to sec u r e Sisi’s future in power. The column by the newspaper’s director Yasser Rizk said this would “preserve all the people’s gains in terms of security, stability and economic recovery” since Sisi came to power five years ago. He said the change could be approved by late summer 2019.

Sisi, who led the army’s overthrow of president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 following mass protests against his rule, won his first term as president the following year. Egypt is slowly recovering from a deep economic crisis that has seen the value of its currency plummet and state subsidies slashed.