Voting begins on Egypt constitution
Egyptians have started voting on a proposed constitution that has polarised the nation, with president Mohammed Morsi and his Islamist supporters backing the charter, while liberals, moderate Muslims and Christians oppose it.
More than 26 million voters are scheduled to cast their ballots today, while another 25 million will vote next week.
Critics have raised concern over the charter’s legitimacy after most judges said they would not supervise the vote.
Rights groups warn of opportunities for widespread fraud, and the opposition says a decision to hold the vote on two separate days to make up for the shortage of judges leaves the door open for initial results to sway voter opinion.
There are also fears of more violence after a series of clashes in the run-up to the voting.
Islamists brandishing swords clashed with opponents of the draft constitution in Alexandria yesterday as tensions rose.
At least 19 people were reported to have been injured in the violence, which broke out after an ultra-conservative cleric urged worshippers to vote “yes” and described the opposition as “followers of infidels”.
Thousands of Islamists also filled a square near the presidential palace in Cairo, raising pictures of Mr Morsi.
The crisis began when Mr Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, issued a decree on November 22 giving himself and the assembly writing the draft immunity from judicial oversight so the document could be finalised before an expected court ruling dissolving the panel. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets.
The densely written document was then passed by an 85-member assembly mostly composed of Islamists in a marathon session despite a walkout by secular activists and Christians. Mr Morsi rushed it to a vote scheduled for the next two Saturdays, compounding the crisis.
Most of Egypt’s judges are refusing to monitor the vote, although authorities said they would be able to meet the legal obligation to have a judge at each polling station. More than 51 million people are registered to vote, with over 6,000 polling stations in 10 provinces.
