<span style="color: #222222;">Egyptians voted today in a referendum that aims to cement the rule of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former coup leader who presents himself as a rock of stability in a turbulent region.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">  </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Voters were being asked to back amendments to the constitution to allow 64-year-old Sisi to run for another six-year term while boosting his control over the judiciary and giving the military even greater influence in political life.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The three-day referendum bucks the trend of North Africa's mini-Arab Spring, in which mass pro-democracy protests this month swept away veteran presidents in Algeria and Sudan.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Earlier in the week, parliament overwhelmingly endorsed the constitutional changes, which also include the creation of a second parliamentary chamber and a quota ensuring at least 25 per cent of lawmakers are women.</span><br />