Egyptians abroad start voting in charter referendum

<p>By Hussein Elkabany</p> <p>CAIRO (AA) – Egyptian expatriates on Friday started voting in a referendum on proposed constitutional changes that would extend incumbent president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's term until 2030.</p> <p>The voting process began first in New Zealand as the Egyptian Embassy in Wellington opened its doors for voters, state-run MENA News Agency reported, citing a Foreign Ministry statement.</p> <p>Some140 poll centers at embassies and consulates in 124 countries are conducting the voting process from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time, Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, without elaborating on the number of Egyptians eligible to vote abroad.</p> <p>However, voting will not be conducted in Yemen, Libya, Syria and Somalia due to security concerns, according to Egypt’s National Elections Authority.</p> <p>Local voting is slated for Saturday in which 61.34 million citizens across the country are eligible to cast their votes.</p> <p>Earlier this week, Egypt’s parliament approved a proposed constitutional amendment extending the duration of presidential terms from four to six years.</p> <p>It will also allow al-Sisi to eventually run for a third term in office.</p> <p>Egypt’s current constitution, ratified in 2014, allows the president to hold office for a maximum of two four-year terms.</p> <p>The constitutional change, however, means al-Sisi’s second term in office — which he secured in elections last year — will end in 2024, after which he will be allowed to run for a third six-year term ending in 2030.</p> <p> </p> <p>* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat</p> <p> </p>