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A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 17 april 2019
Egypt lawmakers pass amendments now headed to referendum

By SAMY MAGDY aimed at “political justice
Associated Press ... and the required stabil-
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s par- ity.” The February draft of
liament on Tuesday passed the special article was dif-
amendments to the consti- ferent, proposing to allow
tution that could see Presi- el-Sissi to run for two more
dent Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi six-year terms after his cur-
remain in power until 2030. rent term expires in 2022,
The vote, which sends the possibly putting him at the
amendments to a national helm of Egypt until 2034.
referendum, was seen by No reason was given for
critics as another step back the change, apparently
to authoritarianism, eight made by the committee
years after a pro-democra- that drafted the final ver-
cy uprising ended autocrat sion of the text.
Hosni Mubarak’s three-de- Lawmaker Ahmed Khalil
cade rule. said his Salafi Nour party,
The 596-member assembly, which promotes strict ad-
packed with el-Sissi’s sup- herence to sharia law,
porters, overwhelmingly rejected the proposed
gave its initial approval in changes because the con-
February, sending it to the stitution states that Egypt
Constitutional and Legisla- is a civilian state, which is
tive Affairs Committee to understood by some peo-
finalize the wording before ple as a “secular country.”
Tuesday’s final vote. Sharia law, or Islamic law, is
Of the 554 lawmakers who People walk past a banner supporting proposed amendments to the Egyptian constitution with a based on Islamic principles,
attended the session, 531 poster of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. particularly those found in
voted “yes,” 22 voted “no” Associated Press the Quran and Hadith.
and one abstained. holy month of Ramadan posters urge people to vote dent’s term in office from Later in the day, he said his
“Today we are concluding starts. Since early April, the in the referendum. four to six years and al- party approved the pro-
what we started in Febru- Egyptian capital has been “Take part, say ... ‘yes’ for low for a maximum of two posals after the speaker
ary,” speaker Ali Abdel-Al awash with large posters the constitutional amend- terms. But they also include clarified that a civilian state
said at the beginning of and banners encourag- ments,” says one banner a special article specific to doesn’t mean a secular
the session. “In this great ing people to vote in favor near the pro-government el-Sissi that extends his cur- state.
day, we offer to the Egyp- of the changes. In Cai- Nation’s Future Party. Most rent second four-year term It has been nearly six years
tian people a draft bill of ro’s central Tahrir Square, of the posters were appar- to six years and allows him since el-Sissi led the military
the constitutional amend- where mass protests be- ently funded by pro-gov- to run for another six-year overthrow of the country’s
ments.” came the symbol of the ernment parties, business- term in 2024 — potentially first freely elected but divi-
The national referendum 2011 anti-Mubarak uprising men and lawmakers. extending his rule until 2030. sive Islamist president, Mo-
will likely take place before and of hopes for demo- The constitutional changes Justifying this clause, speak- hammed Morsi, after mass
early May when the Muslim cratic change in Egypt, the would only extend a presi- er Abdel-Al said it was protests against his rule. q

Turkey’s ruling party wants Istanbul election voided, redone

By ZEYNEP BILGINSOY count was not granted. He cation straddling Europe
Associated Press asserted that had all votes and Asia, is Turkey’s finan-
ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s been recounted “this elec- cial and cultural heart. It
ruling party on Tuesday tion would have resulted in made up 31% of Turkey’s
asked that a recent mu- our benefit.” GDP of $851 billion in 2017
nicipal election it lost in Is- He said the elections were and draws millions of tour-
tanbul be invalidated, as marred by “organized ir- ists.
partial vote recounts in the regularity” and submitted The Istanbul metropolitan
city and the fight for the three suitcases of docu- mayorship and its subsid-
country’s commercial hub ments purportedly docu- iaries had a total budget
continued. menting fraud to the elec- of $8.8 billion last year. The
The Justice and Develop- toral board. municipality has awarded
ment Party, or AKP, filed its Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his party’s mayoral The board is expected to lucrative contracts to busi-
candidate for Istanbul Binali Yildirim, his ministers Bekir
“extraordinary objection” Pakdemirli, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Suleyman Soylu, atttend rule on the ruling party’s re- nesses close to the govern-
to the March 31 election funeral prayers for Mustafa Yazici during funeral prayers, in quest after all recounts are ment over the years and
results for Istanbul metro- Istanbul, Saturday, April 13, 2019. complete. If it accepts the offers huge financial re-
politan mayor with Turkey’s Associated Press AKP’s objection, Istanbul sources and employment
electoral board. Citing al- ity of local election votes That difference has could repeat the election opportunities.
leged irregularities, the par- across Turkey but lost in the dropped from some 25,000 on June 2. Erdogan’s rise to power be-
ty previously pushed for a capital, Ankara. In Istanbul, votes with the partial re- Both Ankara and Istanbul gan as Istanbul mayor in
recount of votes, and that unofficial contested results count. had been held by Erdo- 1994 and he has repeated
process is still underway in give the main opposition Speaking to reporters after gan’s conservative, reli- numerous times in pre-elec-
one Istanbul district. party’s mayoral candidate, filing the objection, Ali Ih- gious-based party and its tion rallies: “Whoever wins
President Recep Tayyip Ekrem Imamoglu, a 13,827- san Yavuz, the AKP’s depu- predecessor for 25 years. Istanbul, wins Turkey” and
Erdogan’s AKP and its na- vote lead over AKP candi- ty chairman, said their pre- Istanbul, with its 15 million “Whoever loses Istanbul,
tionalist ally won a major- date Binali Yildirim. vious request for a total re- residents and strategic lo- loses Turkey.”q