Egypt will not be extending its three days of voting in the referendum on the country’s constitutional amendments, the National Elections Authority (NEA) spokesman said on Sunday as Egyptians continue to cast their ballots for the second day.
In a press conference, NEA spokesman Judge Mahmoud El-Sharif dismissed reports that the authority had issued statements saying that there would be an extension on the vote, whether domestically or abroad.
Earlier on Sunday, polling stations opened for the second day to receive voters at around 10,878 central polling stations and 13,919 minor polling stations across the country.
Sunday also marks the third and final day of voting for Egyptians abroad, who started casting their ballots in Egyptian embassies and consulates at 9am local time in each country.
The NEA spokesman expressed the authority's appreciation to Egyptians who participated in voting, which began on Saturday within Egypt, pointing out that citizens have not responded to calls for boycott made by “enemies of the state.”
El-Sharif added that the NEA has not received any complaints since the polling stations opened on Sunday.
The first day of voting passed smoothly, the NEA spokesperson said.
The results of the referendum are expected on 27 April.
More than 61 million Egyptians are eligible to vote in the referendum on the amendments to the 2014 charter, which were recently overwhelmingly approved by parliament.
The amendments increase the length of presidential terms from four to six years.
They also extend the second term of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, which is set to end in 2022, by two years, and allow him to run for office for another term in 2024.
El-Sisi was first elected president in 2014 and was re-elected last year in a landslide victory where he secured 97 percent of the vote.
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