munaeem | 30 March, 2007 01:17
Egyptian government has announced that the referendum to approve changes to the constitution has been approved.According to Egypt’s Justice Minister Mandouh Marei, around 27 percent of eligible voters took part in the national referendum, which passed by more than three-quarters of the votes.
Egyptians are likely to regard the figures with considerable skepticism as many polling stations were virtually deserted for hours in the capital, Cairo. The country's leading rights group, the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, estimated that only 2-3 percent of the electorate had voted five hours before polls closed.
The approval of the constitutional amendments means the government will have the power to try civilians in military courts, which do not allow appeals, and to arrest and jail Egyptian citizens without warrants.
One of the most controversial changes is the addition of an amendment that bans the formation of any political party or political activity based on religion. The Muslim Brotherhood, the most powerful opposition force, but officially banned by the government, can no longer seek official party status in Egypt.
Mubarak sounded pleased when he addressed the nation on television about an hour after the figures were announced.
The White House criticized Egypt, a close ally in the Middle East, on Tuesday for a referendum on changes to its constitution, saying a "vast majority" of Egyptians did not vote.
Passage of the referendum comes after a weekend of discussion in Aswan between US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, President Mubarak, and other Egyptian leaders. Secretary Rice says she voiced American concerns about Egypt’s constitutional amendments, but after the meeting, Rice focused most of her comments to reporters on Egypt’s role in promoting Middle East peace. Brookings researcher Wittes says the shift away from domestic issues reflects Washington’s hope of support from Cairo on delicate regional negotiations.
Read : Religious Extremism In Egypt
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