Egypt holds vote on new constitution

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 14 Januari 2014 | 19.12

14 January 2014 Last updated at 06:29 ET
James Reynolds with a woman holding aloft a poster of General Sisi

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The BBC's James Reynolds reports from outside a voting station surrounded by Yes voters

Egyptians are voting amid tight security in a two-day referendum on a new constitution, which could pave the way for fresh elections.

The new charter aims to replace the constitution passed under Islamist President Mohammed Morsi months before he was ousted by the army.

The military wants a strong Yes vote to endorse Mr Morsi's removal.

His Muslim Brotherhood, now designated a terrorist group, is boycotting the vote and there are fears of violence.

Shortly before voting began, an explosion took place near a court building in Cairo's Imbaba district, although no casualties were reported.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

"Sisi is the lion of Egypt," shouts one man in a queue of voters outside a polling station at the Workers' University in Cairo's Nasr City. The rest of the crowd behind him decides to join in.

Many of the hundreds queuing up here see this referendum as a personal vote in favour of Egypt's most powerful man, armed forces chief General Sisi. "Sisi, Sisi," chants a group of women at the female entrance to the polling station.

Across the road, there are several official posters showing a green tick in favour of a Yes vote. There is no sign of any No posters. The government has used a new anti-protest law to silence the No campaign.

The security forces have made their strength - and their desire for a Yes vote - clear. Several military Chinook helicopters flew overhead. A military convoy drove outside the polling station - on the bonnet of one vehicle was a picture of Gen Sisi.

However, one person was killed during an anti-referendum protest in Bani Suef, south of Cairo, the governor there told the BBC.

A huge security operation is being mounted for the two days of voting. The interior ministry says 200,000 police officers, 150 central security units and 200 combat groups are being deployed around polling stations on both days.

Army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited one polling station in north Cairo, telling guards there: "Work hard. We need the referendum to be completely secured."

The BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo says this has been a distorted campaign, with endorsements for the new constitution flooding state-run and private TV and radio.

However, spotting any posters from the No campaign is a lot harder and people have been arrested for putting them up, our correspondent says.

Democratic or not, she says, the referendum is seen by many as more than a ballot on a new constitution - it is widely viewed as a verdict on the removal of Mr Morsi.

Debris and car with blown-out windows in Cairo

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Shortly before polls opened, a bomb exploded at a Cairo courthouse

Television pictures showed long lines of voters at some Cairo polling stations.

One voter, Salah Mustafa, told the BBC: "Compared to the document that we had last year, which was a really horrible constitution, there's a lot of rights, there's a lot of concepts that we wanted to see from day one."

But Mohammed Soudan, a spokesman for the Brotherhood's political wing, said most people were boycotting the vote, adding: "This is a message that we are not recognising this kind of new power."

'Every vote'

Interim Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi has called the referendum the "most critical moment" for Egypt.

Continue reading the main story

Voters' views

"I will boycott because my vote doesn't matter"

Rawan Ahmed, 23

Interim President Adly Mansour said after voting: "The people must prove to dark terrorism that they fear nothing."

The new constitution was drafted by a 50-member committee that included only two representatives of Islamist parties.

The authorities maintain that the new draft delivers more rights and freedoms, and is a crucial step on the road to stability.

Under the new constitution:

  • The president may serve two four-year terms and can be impeached by parliament
  • Islam remains the state religion - but freedom of belief is absolute, giving some protection to minorities
  • The state guarantees "equality between men and women"
  • Parties may not be formed based on "religion, race, gender or geography"

Critics say the new constitution favours the army at the expense of the people, and fails to deliver on the revolution of 2011 which overthrew Hosni Mubarak.

It retains a provision allowing civilians to be tried in military courts, and it gives the military control over the appointment of the defence minister for the next eight years.

An Egyptian vender sells copies of the last constitution in Cairo, Egypt, 28 December 2013

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Egypt's constitutional referendum explained - in 60 seconds

It also stipulates that the military's budget will be beyond civilian oversight.

A Yes vote could also pave the way for fresh presidential and parliamentary elections.

It now seems certain that Gen Sisi, who backed Mr Morsi's removal following mass protests, will run for president.

Turnout 'key'
Continue reading the main story

Egypt key dates

  • 25 Jan 2011: Anti-government protests begin
  • 11 Feb 2011: President Hosni Mubarak resigns
  • 24 June 2012: Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi wins presidential elections
  • 26 Dec 2012: President Morsi signs a controversial new constitution into law following a referendum
  • 3 July 2013: President Morsi is deposed after street protests
  • 14 Aug 2013: Hundreds of pro-Morsi supporters killed when troops clear sit-in protests
  • 4 Nov 2013: Mohammed Morsi goes on trial
  • 14 Jan 2014: Referendum held on new constitution

The constitution is expected to attract a resounding Yes vote, but the turnout is key, analysts say.

The last charter, passed just over a year ago, was approved by 63.8%, but only 32.9% of the population voted.

Mohammed Morsi was Egypt's first democratically elected president but was deposed by the military last July.

He is being held in jail in Alexandria, facing several criminal charges relating to his time in office - which he says are politically motivated.

Many of the Muslim Brotherhood's senior leaders and the movement's supporters are also behind bars.

More than 1,000 people have died in violence since Mr Morsi's overthrow.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions


Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Egypt holds vote on new constitution

Dengan url

http://cangkirtehhangat.blogspot.com/2014/01/egypt-holds-vote-on-new-constitution.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Egypt holds vote on new constitution

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Egypt holds vote on new constitution

sebagai sumbernya

0 komentar:

Posting Komentar

techieblogger.com Techie Blogger Techie Blogger