Egypt votes for a final day on extending el-Sissi's rule

Army officers secure a polling station as people enter to vote on constitutional amendments on the second day of a nationwide referendum in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday April 21, 2019. Egyptians are voting on constitutional amendments that would allow el-Sissi to stay in power until 2030. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

CAIRO – Egyptians are voting for a third and final day on constitutional amendments that would allow President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to remain in office until 2030.

The referendum is virtually guaranteed to be approved, as the government pushes for high turnout to grant it legitimacy.

Authorities have waged a wide-scale crackdown on dissent since el-Sissi led the military overthrow of an elected but divisive Islamist president in 2013. The referendum is widely seen as another step toward restoring authoritarian rule eight years after a pro-democracy uprising.

Opposition parties have called on voters to reject the measure, but they have little influence in parliament, which is packed with el-Sissi supporters and overwhelmingly approved the changes.

Polls reopened at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) on Monday. The results are expected within a week.