Cairo, Feb 23, 2019 – An Egyptian opposition party founded by Nobel laureate Mohamed El Baradei denounced Saturday a “campaign of arrests” targeting its members after criticizing a bid to extend the president’s powers. The Constitution Party was created in 2012 by El-Baradei, former head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog. Other members faced “security restrictions”, the party said, calling on the authorities to “stop these violations and repressive practises”. Egypt’s parliament last week gave preliminary approval to several constitutional amendments, one of which calls for extending the president’s term in office from four years to six. Sisi led the army’s overthrow of longtime president Hosni Mubarak’s successor, Mohamed Morsi, in 2013 following mass protests against the Islamist leader’s rule.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 23, 2019 23:48 UTC