Cairo: Egyptians voted Saturday in large numbers in the first stage of a referendum on a controversial draft constitution amid allegedly vast irregularities.
Voters formed long queues at highly-secured polling stations in Cairo, one of the 10 governorates where the vote was held.
Independent and opposition monitors reported irregularities including campaigning by the pro-constitution Islamists, using invalid balloting papers, and allowing only delegates from President Mohammad Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood inside the polling booths.
“Overall, these things limit the integrity of the election process and undermine the sought-after democracy,” said the Egyptian Alliance for the Referendum Monitoring, a grouping of non-governmental organisations.
However, the state-backed National Council for Human Rights said the complaints it received were “minor and routine”. “Given the scale of the polling stations, which reach 6,376, these violations are minor,” said Mohammad Al Damati, the head of the council’s monitoring unit.
The ruling Islamists have in recent weeks campaigned for approving the draft charter, condemned by the opposition as a sham.
“I did not read the constitution text because I work in two jobs in order to cope with the high living costs. I voted ‘Yes’ in the hope that the new constitution will end this chaos we are living in. May God protect Egypt from any harm ,” said Mufeed Abdel Fatah, 47, as he displayed a finger stained with ink proving he cast his ballot in northern Cairo.
Massive voter showing was also reported in Alexandria, Egypt’s second biggest city, which was the scene of violent clashes between opponents and supporters of the constitution.
In UAE, voting has been extended until 8pm on Monday. Nearly 61,000 Egyptians registered for the referendum for which voting has been underway at the embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Egyptian consulate in Dubai. Sources said the referendum result in the UAE will be announced after the polling closes at 8pm.
In Egypt, around 250,000 army and security troops were deployed outside the polls to head off potential unrest. The country has been sharply divided over the constitution, drafted by an Islamist-controlled panel.
Endorsing the document will clear the way for holding parliamentary elections within three months. But if it is voted down, an election will be called for an assembly to write a new constitution.
“The referendum is going ahead well,” said Amr Mousa, an opposition leader, as he was leaving after voting at a school in Cairo. “The result should be accepted whatever it is,” he added.
Mousa’s National Salvation Front, a key opposition coalition, has called for a “No” vote. Mohammad Al Baradei, the coalition’s leader, Saturday renewed his call for Egyptians to “listen to the voice of reason and conscience” to vote against the draft.
The second round of the voting is due on December 22 in the rest of the country.
In order to pass, the constitution must be approved by more than 50 per cent of voters who cast ballots. A little more than half of Egypt’s electorate of 51 million are eligible to vote in the first round in Cairo and other cities.
— With additional inputs from Samir Salama, Associate Editor
