Iraqi PM congratulates Sisi, Egyptians on ‘successful’ referendum

CAIRO – 22 April 2019: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi received on Monday a phone call by Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi who congratulated the Egyptian leader and Egyptians on completing the constitutional amendments referendum successfully.

The Iraqi Prime Minister further commended on the positive developments that Egypt has been witnessing on various levels and fields over the recent years.

Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady said Abdul-Mahdi affirmed Iraq’s appreciation to Egypt and President Sisi, in light of the deep historical relations between Egypt and Iraq.

For his part, President Sisi stressed his pride of the Egyptian-Iraqi ties, while praising the constant development that these ties witness.

The referendum was observed by 22 international organizations and entities including 14 embassies, the European Union, and the Arab League. That is in addition to 58 local organizations.

The new amendments would increase the presidential term from four to six years, allocate 25 percent of parliamentary seats to women, re-introduce the Shura Council and reinstate the vice president post.

The referendum voting was being conducted in 10,878 polling stations and 13,919 committees, while the number of judges supervising the referendum is about 20,000, assisted by some 120,000 employees.

President Sisi was first elected president in 2014 after a popular uprising that sacked the Muslim Brotherhood regime. He was re-elected last year in a landslide victory where he secured 97 percent of the vote.