Egyptian Islamists led by President Mohamed Morsi on Sunday claimed a resounding victory in the two-round referendum on a highly controversial draft constitution as unofficial results showed that around 64 per cent of people voted in favour of the new charter.
Some 64 per cent of voters backed the charter over the two rounds of polling, state-run media reported. The final results of the referendum, however, are not expected until on Monday.
With this, the grouping of Islamists and ultra-radical Salafists, who have won every election since the ouster of long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, appeared to have once again outmuscled the largely secular opposition, which claims abuses in voting. An official of the Brotherhood's political wing Freedom and Justice Party claimed over 71 per cent of the voters cast a ‘Yes’ ballot for the charter on Saturday in second and final round of voting. ‘According to our calculations, the final result of the second round is 71 per cent voting 'Yes' and the overall result (of the two rounds) is 63.8 per cent,’ he said.
The ‘Yes’ vote won in the first phase on December 15 by a relatively narrow 56.5 per cent. The draft constitution has caused serious divisions in Egypt as it was drafted by an Islamist-dominated assembly from which representatives of the church and liberals withdrew.
The second round of voting on Saturday in 17 governorates which hold half of Egypt's electorate held amid allegations of irregularities. Ten governorates voted during the first phase.
The opposition said violations like polling stations opening late and Islamists seeking to influence voters took place in the second round of referendum.
Egypt's Constituent Assembly on November 30 in a marathon session approved the draft constitution imposing Islamic values, a move opposed by Liberals as an attempt to restrict freedom of speech and religion in the country.
The articles passed, stipulated that Islam is the religion of the state, and the principles of Sharia, or Islamic law, are the ‘main source of legislation’.
A number of rights groups and opposition parties had filed complaints of violations during the two-round of the vote. They complained that at several places a vote was held without a judge overseeing it and at several places judges were replaced by employees.
COURT SETS JAN DATE FOR HOSNI PLEA
A top Egyptian court on Sunday said it will rule on January 13 on a petition by ousted president Hosni Mubarak challenging a life-term awarded to him by a lower court for complicity in the killing of over 800 people during last year’s uprising against his despotic rule.
The Court of Cassation said it will rule on January 13 on the challenges presented by Mubarak and his ex-interior minister Habib el-Adli to overturn a ruling issued by the Cairo Criminal Court that sentenced them to life in prison on June 2, 2012.
The defendants had presented an appeal to the life sentence they had received for the accusations, state-run MENA news agency reported.
The General Prosecution has also contested the acquittal of six of Adli’s security aides in the case.
Some 64 per cent of voters backed the charter over the two rounds of polling, state-run media reported. The final results of the referendum, however, are not expected until on Monday.
With this, the grouping of Islamists and ultra-radical Salafists, who have won every election since the ouster of long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, appeared to have once again outmuscled the largely secular opposition, which claims abuses in voting. An official of the Brotherhood's political wing Freedom and Justice Party claimed over 71 per cent of the voters cast a ‘Yes’ ballot for the charter on Saturday in second and final round of voting. ‘According to our calculations, the final result of the second round is 71 per cent voting 'Yes' and the overall result (of the two rounds) is 63.8 per cent,’ he said.
The ‘Yes’ vote won in the first phase on December 15 by a relatively narrow 56.5 per cent. The draft constitution has caused serious divisions in Egypt as it was drafted by an Islamist-dominated assembly from which representatives of the church and liberals withdrew.
The second round of voting on Saturday in 17 governorates which hold half of Egypt's electorate held amid allegations of irregularities. Ten governorates voted during the first phase.
The opposition said violations like polling stations opening late and Islamists seeking to influence voters took place in the second round of referendum.
Egypt's Constituent Assembly on November 30 in a marathon session approved the draft constitution imposing Islamic values, a move opposed by Liberals as an attempt to restrict freedom of speech and religion in the country.
The articles passed, stipulated that Islam is the religion of the state, and the principles of Sharia, or Islamic law, are the ‘main source of legislation’.
A number of rights groups and opposition parties had filed complaints of violations during the two-round of the vote. They complained that at several places a vote was held without a judge overseeing it and at several places judges were replaced by employees.
COURT SETS JAN DATE FOR HOSNI PLEA
A top Egyptian court on Sunday said it will rule on January 13 on a petition by ousted president Hosni Mubarak challenging a life-term awarded to him by a lower court for complicity in the killing of over 800 people during last year’s uprising against his despotic rule.
The Court of Cassation said it will rule on January 13 on the challenges presented by Mubarak and his ex-interior minister Habib el-Adli to overturn a ruling issued by the Cairo Criminal Court that sentenced them to life in prison on June 2, 2012.
The defendants had presented an appeal to the life sentence they had received for the accusations, state-run MENA news agency reported.
The General Prosecution has also contested the acquittal of six of Adli’s security aides in the case.