It's a trick of authoritarians to use one time, simple majority plebiscites to change constitutions

giving themselves more power, of course.

The appeal to the masses.

Maduro.

Sisi.

If Trump hears of this on Fox or Infowars he will be consumed with envy.

Egypt Approves New Muscle for Its Strongman Leader

The lone protester stood in an affluent corner of Egypt’s capital on Sunday, nearly an hour’s drive from the downtown square where tens of thousands had massed in 2011 to denounce the country’s strongman leader in the heady days of the Arab Spring.

Though he had broadcast a plea on Twitter for others to join him, Ahmed Badawy had only a sign to accompany him this time, black marker on red poster. 

“No to amending the constitution,” he had written.

He was quickly arrested.

Egypt has another strongman now, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who tightened his dictatorial grip this week when Egyptians approved a set of constitutional amendments that granted him expansive new powers over the judiciary and Parliament while allowing him to remain in office until 2030.

Not surprisingly for a vote that Mr. el-Sisi and his allies stage-managed from the beginning, the authorities said Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the polls closed, that the final count showed the amendments passed 89 percent to 11 percent, with a turnout of 44 percent.

. . . .

“It’s worse now than Mubarak,” said Elham Eidarous, an activist who belongs to the opposition Bread & Freedom party. 

“Anyone who talks about optimism is either lying or naïve, because there’s nothing optimistic about this situation.”

Ms. Eidarous said Mr. el-Sisi, like Mr. Mubarak, had justified repression and the silencing of critics by emphasizing the need to keep Egypt stable and safe from terrorists. 

Mr. el-Sisi has also pursued economic austerity measures, squeezing the poor and the middle class, that are reminiscent of ones Mr. Mubarak gradually introduced over his last 10 years in power.

But while Mr. Mubarak allowed some dissenting voices and independent media outlets, Mr. el-Sisi has moved to block any hint of criticism. 

He has jailed tens of thousands of opponents, shuttered news media outlets and all but shoved the opposition out of politics. 

Last year, he won re-election with 97 percent of the vote after eliminating all other serious candidates months in advance.

The constitutional amendments will further concentrate power in Mr. el-Sisi’s hands, extending his current presidential term to six years from four and allowing him to run for another six-year term in 2024. 

If he wins the next election, he could rule for a total of 17 years, and analysts speculate that he is setting himself up to rule for much longer.

The amendments also give him greater influence over the country’s Parliament and judiciary by conferring the power to appoint top judicial officials and a significant chunk of a new house of Parliament, changes that analysts said threatened Egypt’s separation of powers.