Egypt's constitutional referendum begins

Tuesday 14-01-2014 09:18 AM
Egypt's constitutional referendum begins

An election official stands next to boxes containing voting slips for a referendum on the new constitution in Cairo January 12, 2014. REUTERS/Al Youm Al Saabi Newspaper

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CAIRO, Jan 14 (Aswat Masriya) Egyptians will vote on a draft constitution on Tuesday and Wednesday in a referendum seen by the interim government as a stepping stone towards democracy, but by Islamists, who will boycott it, as illegitimate.

A 50-member assembly, chaired by politician Amr Moussa, wrote this new constitution to replace another written by an Islamist-led assembly under the Mohamed Mursi administration and suspended by the army in July.

The army ousted Mursi in July in response to mass demonstrations against his rule, suspended his constitution and called for early parliamentary and presidential elections.

Egypt’s army has promised intense security of the two-day voting process, in cooperation with the police.

Parliamentary and presidential elections are expected to kick off after the referendum, but in which order they will be conducted is yet to be decided.

Egyptians living abroad finished casting their votes on January 12. 

Read constitution here

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