Egypt's national electoral authority announced Tuesday evening that voters had approved 88.83 percent of the constitutional amendments that would allow President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to remain in power until 2030.
The head of the body adviser Lashin Ibrahim said that the number of those who approved the amendments amounted to 23 million and 416 thousand and 741 voters out of the total of the participants in the referendum of the 27 million and 193 thousand and 593 voters out of 61 million and 344 thousand and 503 voters, a rate of participation of 44.33%.
Ibrahim added that the percentage of valid votes amounted to 96.94% by 26 million and 362 thousand and 421 votes, and the invalid votes by 3.06% by 831 thousand and 172 votes.
The constitutional amendments allow the current president Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi to remain in power until 2030, where the amendments include a transitional article stating that "the term of the current president expires at the end of six years from the date of his election as President of the Republic in 2018 and may be re-elected for the next time."
In addition to increasing presidential mandates, the controversial amendments will ensure the president's control over the judiciary and the army's control of the state, granting the president broad powers to appoint heads of judicial bodies, giving the military broad political powers and the possibility of intervening to protect the constitution and state citizenship.
Unlike the transitional rule, the amendments extend the mandate of the President from four to six years, and for two consecutive terms only. The amendments also include the appointment of one or more Vice-Presidents.
The amendments also included the return of the second chamber of parliament under the name of "Senate" after the abolition of this second chamber of parliament in the current Constitution, and included amendments to raise the share of women in the House of Representatives to 25%.
During the voting process, it became clear that the Authority is keen on a high participation rate that suggests the interest and interaction of the people. The media has been telling many stories of attempts to mobilize voters, either by seduction or by coercion.
With the distribution of pictures and videos of the distribution of the ballots during the first two days of the referendum, voters said they would not enter the committee to vote only after obtaining a carton.
The Egyptian regime was deeply embarrassed by the spread of the "Karatin" phenomenon in front of the electoral committees, prompting the media close to the security services to try to provide several justifications for the phenomenon and then try to repudiate them, such as the distribution of food related to the work of righteousness before the month of Ramadan and have nothing to do By referendum.
However, these justifications did not withstand the flood of images and videos that reveal the use of "Karatein" electoral bribes, to break the mind of the regime to suspend the charge in the usual candles, namely the Brotherhood and the opposition.
State and private newspapers accused an unnamed opposition party of trying to distort the referendum on amending the constitution in coordination with the Muslim Brotherhood. "One of the opposition parties backed by the Muslim Brotherhood is currently buying Karateen to be presented as electoral bribes, which were presented to the referendum committees on the constitutional amendments," the media said in a joint report.
Opposition parties at home and abroad have sought to counter the amendment of the constitution, but they have divided themselves between calling for boycotts or refusing to participate, amid fears that the split would ultimately serve Sisi.