Egypt holds final vote on divisive charter
2012-12-22 08:06
Cairo - Egyptians vote on Saturday in the final round of a
referendum on an Islamist-backed constitution that has fuelled weeks of
sometimes bloody protests in the divided country but is likely to be approved.
Polling stations open at 08:00 in the remaining 17 provinces
that did not vote in last Saturday's first round of the referendum.
Hundreds of Egyptians clashed on Friday in the country's
second largest city Alexandria in the latest violence between Islamists who
back the charter and opponents who accuse them of overreaching.
The interior ministry said 62 people, among them 12 police
conscripts, were injured and 12 protesters were arrested.
At least 250 000 police and soldiers will be deployed on
Saturday to provide security at polling stations.
Last weekend's first round of the referendum exposed a deep
rift in the country, with 57% of voters opting for the charter, according to
unofficial tallies.
Analysts expect a majority of voters will accept the text in
the second round also.
"Everything suggests the vote will go the way the
Muslim Brotherhood wants," Hassan Nafaa, an analyst and commentator, wrote
in the newspaper Al-Masri al-Youm.
Preliminary results compiled from returning officers are
expected by early Sunday. The electoral committee overseeing the referendum has
not yet announced when it will declare the final official result.
The constitution, drafted by an Islamist-dominated assembly
boycotted by Christians and liberals, is at the heart of the power struggle
between the Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, and his secular-leaning
opposition.
- SAPA
