Egypt’s constitution gets initial approval as opposition calls for revote

Egyptians have given a tentative “yes” to the newly-written draft constitution which the ruling party says will impose order on the country, while opponents have appealed for a revote citing widespread irregularities.

Saturday’s constitutional referendum in 10 of Egypt’s 27 provinces has resulted in 56.5 percent “yes” votes, state-run al-Ahram online said on Sunday.

Next Saturday’s second set of balloting, to be held in regions which are mostly pro-Islamist, is likely to grant another approval to the disputed draft constitution which the opposition says tramples on the rights of women and minorities.

The opposition bloc on Sunday called for a nationwide protest over alleged violations in the referendum and demanded a repeat of the voting.

Representatives of seven rights groups, including the National Salvation Front, charged that there was insufficient supervision by judges, women were reportedly barred from voting and some polling centers were closed earlier than schedules.

The controversial constitution revealed the internal rifts in a country where leftists, socialists, Christians and Muslims remain at odds over which course Cairo should take after ex-president Hosni Mubarak’s downfall.

The opposition bloc had earlier urged a boycott against the referendum, but altered its position later, appealing for a vote against the charter.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the ruling party, however, believed the draft would bring order to the country mired in protests and unrest.

Once adopted, the draft constitution “will establish the country’s three authorities — the executive, the legislative and the judicial,” Muslim Brotherhood Secretary-General Mahmoud Hussein told media in.

“The president’s powers and authorities will be limited to those in the constitution, which are much less than his powers today,” he said.

Saturday’s vote had a high voter turnout, leading to the extension of the closing time from 7:00 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) to 11:00 p.m. (2100 GMT).

There were also 19 reports of injuries caused by overcrowding.

The results of the referendum would be formally announced after the second stage of voting on Dec. 22. If the draft constitution is vetoed, a new 100-member constitution-writing body would be formed to write a new charter.

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