Egypt opposition urges "No" vote to extend president's term

Published April 18, 2019

People walk past a banner supporting proposed amendments to the Egyptian constitution with a poster of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Egypt's parliament was holding its last debate Tuesday on proposed amendments to the constitution that could see President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi remain in power until 2030. Arabic reads, "do the right thing, yes to the developments, stability and amendments to the the constitution".(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

A coalition of opposition political parties has called on Egyptian voters to reject proposed constitutional amendments that would allow President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to stay in power until 2030.

The three-day nationwide referendum starts Saturday.

The Civil Democratic Movement, which includes liberal and left-leaning parties, held a news conference Thursday to decry the amendments.

"We want people to go and say no," said Abdel-Aziz al-Husseini of the Karam party.

If passed, Khaled Dawood, another opposition leader and former head of the liberal Dostour, or Constitution party, says "our dream and hope to have a president who is elected once every two terms have come to an end."

El-Sissi came to power in 2014 after removing his predecessor, Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, who hails from the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

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https://www.foxnews.com/world/egypt-opposition-urges-no-vote-to-extend-presidents-term