Mubarak further enshrines authoritarian rule

In today’s Think Tank Town on washingtonpost.com, Amr Hamzawy discusses the consequences of the recent changes to the Egypt’s constitution that were approved in a national referendum on March 26.

The amendments, which were set forth by President Hosni Mubarak and the ruling National Democratic Party, have caused national and international outrage. They are believed to be aimed at discouraging meaningful political reform and ensuring the administration’s continued control in all aspects of Egyptian politics. They prevent any religious opposition – namely the Muslim Brotherhood – from gaining political recognition, as the amendments ban the establishment of a political party with a religious framework.

The referendum had a remarkably low voter turnout, which only indicates that Egyptians have become increasingly alienated from political life as they find their viewpoints consistently suppressed.

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