EGYPTIANS go to the polls
tomorrow for the second round of voting in the referendum on the
country's draft constitution, with every sign that it will be
approved. The indications after the first day of polling last
Saturday were that about 57 per cent of voters had backed the new
document.
The final result is
likely to provide further evidence of polarisation: just over half
of all Egyptians will support the constitution, and just under half
will reject it.
The President-Bishop in
Jerusalem and the Middle East, the Most Revd Mouneer Anis, in a
statement last Friday, described his country as "groaning and
divided".
The main opposition
grouping, the National Salvation Front, complained of
election-rigging last Saturday. It alleged that at one polling
station in Cairo, Christian women were not allowed to enter to cast
their votes. But, in general, the fractured opposition, which most
Copts support, is not as well organised as the Muslim Brotherhood
and the Salafists, and seems out of touch with the millions of
Egyptians living in rural areas.
The opposition, however,
notched up a victory of sorts on Monday, when pressure from judges
forced the resignation of the public prosecutor, Talaat Ibrahim,
who had recently been appointed by President Morsi to replace Abdel
Maguid Mahmoud. The sacking of Mr Mahmoud had been seen as a move
by the President and the Muslim Brotherhood to remove any threat
from a judiciary associated with the Mubarak era, and therefore
opposed to Islamist rule. After Mr Mahmoud had been removed, judges
went on strike in protest, leaving an insufficient number to
oversee voting on a single day, which necessitated a two-stage
referendum.
The US Secretary of
State, Hillary Clinton, had earlier added her voice to those
calling for the writing of a new draft constitution to replace one
drawn up by an assembly dominated by Islamists.
Large and often-violent
demonstrations for and against President Morsi have been
continuing, despite his announcement earlier this month - under
public pressure - that he had rescinded the decree granting him
far-reaching powers that could not be challenged, even by the
judiciary. But, at the same time, he repeated his determination
that the referendum on the draft constitution would take place as
planned, prompting a fresh torrent of criticism from his
opponents.
The current draft and its
progress are being criticised for several reasons that are
unrelated to the content of the final document. First, most of the
secular and Christian representatives on the Constituent Assembly
withdrew in protest at the way in which Islamists were seen to be
pushing their own agenda. This meant that the draft was finally
approved by a body that was far from representing the interests of
all Egyptians.
Second, the opportunity
was missed to draw up a completely new constitution in the wake of
the popular revolution that swept away the old dictatorial regime.
Instead, hasty changes were made to an earlier document. Third, the
speed with which the draft was approved, and the matter of days
between this and the referendum, have prevented a national debate
before the voting.
As for the content, Bishop Anis says that there were several
places where statements were imprecise and open to differen
interpretations. People were afraid that this could "allow certain
Islamic groups to restrict people's freedom", he said.