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.The vote comes amid an economic crisis and growing public frustration, raising the stakes for a president desperate to secure his long-term political survival.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 House of RepresentativesThe House is far and away the more important of Egypt’s two parliamentary chambers; the other, the Senate, mostly plays an advisory role. Advertisement The Senate elections, held last summer amid very low voter turnout, were carefully managed to ensure complete regime domination.The focus has now shifted to the far more consequential parliamentary elections.The 596-seat House is responsible for lawmaking and is tasked with approving proposals to amend the constitution, amon …
