General Abdul-Fattah El-Sisi announced he would hold parliamentary elections, two years after his 3rd of July military coup. Nevertheless, the announcement follows significant changes he made in the constitution in order to ensure a tailored outcome from the elections.

The amendments include an increase in the number of seats in parliament to an unprecedented 568 seats – by an amendment to the laws, made personally by General El-Sisi. In addition, a 5 percent of members will be appointed by General El-Sisi himself.

The 2012 constitution – written during Morsi’s year as president and produced by a committee that was elected by the people – grants significant powers to the parliament, and at the same time limits those of the president. One of its articles stipulated that a government could not be changed by the president without the approval of the elected parliament.

General El-Sisi, commenting on this in a recent speech (in Suez Canal University), said, “The constitution had been written in good faith and granted broad powers to the parliament. A country cannot be governed solely by good faith”, indicating that the parliament will be granted scant powers.

Nevertheless, Egyptians continue to reject the current fascist regime. Despite the increase in the numbers of martyrs – the peaceful men and women who opposed the coup and were killed by El-Sisi’s forces, Egyptians are committed to continue sacrificing in order to free their beloved homeland Egypt from this repressive regime and to restore true democracy.

With this in mind, the Egyptian Revolutionary Council fully supports all those who continue to struggle for the realisation of the goals of the revolution, for peaceful protests through civil disobedience, and for the boycott of these worthless sham elections.