Live streams

Muslim Brotherhood: Egyptians Approve New Constitution

Policemen stand guard near a poster outside the constitutional court put up by supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi as they stage a sit-in, in Cairo, December 23, 2012.

TEXT SIZE - +

Edward Yeranian

December 23, 2012

CAIRO — Unofficial results of Egypt's two-round constitutional referendum appear to indicate that the controversial document won overall approval by a majority of 64 percent. Many opposition figures, however, allege the vote was tainted by fraud.

Several Egyptians argued angrily at a private club in Cairo over the unofficial results of the two-round constitutional referendum, which appears to have gone to approval by about a two-thirds majority. Egypt's election commission is due to announce official results on Monday.

The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood reported on its website that in Saturday's second and final round of polling, 71 percent of those voting approved the document, while 29 percent opposed it. In the first round on December 15, 56 percent of voters approved the draft constitution.

The opposition National Salvation Front insisted Sunday that the voting was tainted by fraud. The group has agreed, however, to participate in parliamentary elections due to take place in several months.

Egyptian Voters Reflect on Referendum
(by Al Pessin/Japhet Weeks)

Egypt's Draft Constitution

Limits president to two four-year terms
Provides protections against arbitrary detention and torture
Islamic law, or Sharia, serves as the basis for legislation
Religious freedom is limited to Muslims, Christians and Jews
Citizens are deemed equal before the law and equal in rights

Veteran Egyptian editor and publisher Hisham Kassem argues the new constitution is illegitimate both because of the process used to write it and because of the way polling was conducted to approve it.

"They rigged the election, full stop. It's blatant rigging and the constitution is null and void. It's the product of a rigged election. Apart from all the failures in procedures in drafting the constitution, it passed through a rigged election," said Kassem.

Kassem also condemned the West and the United States for what he said was “failing [Egyptians] in the battle for freedom and civil liberties.” A number of opposition leaders have blasted the West for not condemning the process used to approve Egypt's new constitution.

The majority of Egypt's judiciary refused to oversee polling and a team of mostly Islamist judges supervised the vote. Electoral official Mahmoud Abou Shousha, however, told Arab satellite channels that the justice ministry has agreed to examine complaints of fraud.

For his part, veteran Middle East scholar Fouad Ajami of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University said that “the ballot is not infallible, but it's better than the alternatives.” He also blamed Egypt's liberals and secular activists for “the disarray in their own ranks.”

Ajami portrayed a country deeply divided, or racked by “cultural dualism,” which he says was “reflected in the referendum.” But, he minimized the importance of the constitutional feud, saying that “countries don't live in constitutions.” The old constitution, he notes, “offered no protection against tyranny.”

Meanwhile, Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie told reporters that the referendum was “the first time in Egyptian history that a constitution was approved by popular vote.” He added that “when Egyptians speak, everyone else shuts up.”

You May Like

FILE- Unmanned Predator B drone, taken November 8, 2011.

Pakistan Reiterates Opposition to US Drone Strikes

Day earlier US President Barack Obama justified 'constrained' drone usage to save lives More

Authorities are taking samples of live poultry from mainland China to test for the H7N9 virus, April 11, 2013.

Study Identifies Risks of Human Spread of H7N9 Bird Flu

Study suggest that international measures to contain the H7N9 influenza, in the event of severe outbreak, will need to be targeted in Asia More

Anti government protesters burn tires and place rocks in the streets in Conakry, Guinea, May 3, 2013

Violence Continues in Conakry Over Upcoming Elections

Opposition has called for boycott of elections More

Syria's Civil War Fuels Violence in Iraq

Analysts say al-Qaida-linked militants are flowing back and forth from both countries More

Star Trek Influence Lives Long and Prospers

As new movie thrills, many are once again discussing the iconic franchise's influence on society, science and technology More

A view of Badong city on the banks of the Yangtze River, in Hubei province, China, August 7, 2012.

OECD: Developing Green Cities Key to Sustainable Future

OECD suggests strategies to mitigate rapid growth, industrialization in urban centers, which produce about two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions More

This forum has been closed.

Comment Sorting

Comments

by: Sunny Enwerem

December 24, 2012 1:14 AM

Report Comment

A revolution clearly fought by all aspect of Egyptians is hyjacked by some Islamist ,here goes a wasted revolution fought by all but claimed by the Muslim Brotherhood.

by: raheem_ehsan

December 23, 2012 11:28 AM

Report Comment

The hypothesis, about malicious commencement of constitutional voting is maid by English media. The western countries can not bear a country which is following Islamic Sharia, all the mess in the country was made by U.S.A and Israel. The only thing that is itching to America in constitutional law is Islamic Sharia.

by: Michael from: USA

December 23, 2012 9:52 AM

Report Comment

Civil liberty is an organizing idea that faces the government and places limits on it's power, a civic idea that hopefully will come down the middle-way between a crack-down and total chaos

by: ali baba from: new york

December 22, 2012 7:51 PM

Report Comment

the deception game is over ,many problem will arise in future ,discontent, unemployment ,food shortage.it is immanent that the second revolt will be soon

In Response

by: ali baba from: new york

December 23, 2012 1:51 PM

Report Comment

the voting is fraud. moersi does not care about the safety of people. the news in Egypt is not over and it will get worst

In Response

by: Mark Burkley from: Highlands, Louisville

December 23, 2012 1:05 AM

Report Comment

Oh well, the people there voted. Was the vote not legitimate? Were you there? Were we (The US) watching the election or just trying to influence it? Hopefully, the people of Egypt will be safe and prosperous.

Republish This Story

Muslim Brotherhood: Egyptians Approve New Constitution

<h1>Muslim Brotherhood: Egyptians Approve New Constitution</h1><img src="http://www.voanews.com/App_Themes/VOA_en-US/img/colorLogo.gif"/>Unofficial results of Egypt's two-round constitutional referendum appear to indicate that the controversial document won overall approval by a majority of 64 percent.  Many opposition figures, however, allege the vote was tainted by fraud. Several Egyptians argued angrily at a private club in Cairo over the unofficial results of the two-round constitutional referendum, which appears to have gone to approval by about a two-thirds majority.  Egypt's election commission is due to announce official results on Monday. The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood reported on its website that in Saturday's second and final round of polling, 71 percent of those voting approved the document, while 29 percent opposed it.  In the first round on December 15, 56 percent of voters approved the draft constitution. The opposition National Salvation Front insisted Sunday that the voting was tainted by fraud. The group has agreed, however, to participate in parliamentary elections due to take place in several months. Egyptian Voters Reflect on Referendum (by Al Pessin/Japhet Weeks) <iframe frameborder="0" height="320" scrolling="no" src="http://www.voanews.com/flashembed.aspx?t=vid&id=1570656&w=512&h=320" width="512"></iframe> <div class="tag_image tag_backgrounder floatLeft" contenteditable="false" mode="backgrounder|plain|1556215|floatLeft"> Egypt's Draft Constitution<img alt="" src="../../img/spacer.gif" title="This is just placeholder, it will be replaced public site." /></div> Veteran Egyptian editor and publisher Hisham Kassem argues the new constitution is illegitimate both because of the process used to write it and because of the way polling was conducted to approve it. "They rigged the election, full stop. It's blatant rigging and the constitution is null and void. It's the product of a rigged election. Apart from all the failures in procedures in drafting the constitution, it passed through a rigged election," said Kassem. Kassem also condemned the West and the United States for what he said was “failing [Egyptians] in the battle for freedom and civil liberties.” A number of opposition leaders have blasted the West for not condemning the process used to approve Egypt's new constitution. The majority of Egypt's judiciary refused to oversee polling and a team of mostly Islamist judges supervised the vote. Electoral official Mahmoud Abou Shousha, however, told Arab satellite channels that the justice ministry has agreed to examine complaints of fraud. For his part, veteran Middle East scholar Fouad Ajami of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University said that “the ballot is not infallible, but it's better than the alternatives.”  He also blamed Egypt's liberals and secular activists for “the disarray in their own ranks.” Ajami portrayed a country deeply divided, or racked by “cultural dualism,” which he says was “reflected in the referendum.” But, he minimized the importance of the constitutional feud, saying that “countries don't live in constitutions.” The old constitution, he notes, “offered no protection against tyranny.” Meanwhile, Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie told reporters that the referendum was “the first time in Egyptian history that a constitution was approved by popular vote.” He added that “when Egyptians speak, everyone else shuts up.”<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.voanews.com/content/egypt-referendum/1570646.html"/><meta name="syndication-source" content="http://www.voanews.com/content/egypt-referendum/1570646.html"/><img src="http://livetracker.voanews.eu/counter.lt?PageType=256&RecordId=1570646&SiteId=415&r=1425752969&it=0&pd=20121223063551&url=ArticleID1570646" alt="" style="border:none;" height="1" width="1">

Featured Videos

Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.

Video

Volunteers Help Revive LA's Concrete River

The Los Angeles River is a concrete drainage channel through much of its 80-kilometer length. It channels waste-water from storm drains and has become a receptacle for much of the city's trash. But as Mike O'Sullivan reports, the river is slowly being restored with the help of volunteers, who take part in an annual clean-up.