Egypt's all-important parliamentary elections aren't elections at all

"The vote is carefully managed from start to finish so that only one outcome is possible: a longer lease on power for el-Sisi. It is difficult to overstate the importance of Egypt's ongoing House of Representatives elections. The voting results will not only decide the composition of the next parliament but will also determine whether, and for how long, the rule of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will be extended."

"El-Sisi came to power following a 2013 military coup, quickly consolidating power and establishing an ultra-authoritarian political framework. In 2019, he pushed for a referendum on constitutional amendments that would grant him more power and effectively extend his rule, which was supposed to end in 2022. The regime did not take any chances with the result: it blocked thousands of websites that criticised the amendments; arrested individuals who campaigned for a no vote; and engaged in a combination of voter intimidation, bribery, and smear campaigning."

"Given that context, it is unsurprising that el-Sisi and his supporters won a landslide yes vote, effectively guaranteeing that he would rule Egypt until 2030. Now, with only a little more than four years left until 2030, el-Sisi reportedly seeks yet another extension. He appears poised to use the next House of Representatives to approve a constitutional amendment that would lengthen his tenure beyond 2030 and perhaps indefinitely."

The vote is tightly controlled to produce a single result: a longer lease on power for el-Sisi. The House elections will determine the next parliament and whether el-Sisi's rule is extended beyond its current legal end. The vote occurs amid economic crisis and public frustration, increasing the president's urgency to secure long-term survival. El-Sisi seized power after a 2013 military coup and built an ultra-authoritarian system. A 2019 referendum granted him extensions to 2030 after a campaign marked by website blackouts, arrests, voter intimidation, bribery, and smear tactics. The regime now appears poised to use the consequential 596-seat House, which controls legislation, to approve further constitutional amendments extending his tenure.

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