Huge turnout in Egypt's constitutional referendum, ElBaradei attacked outside polling station‎

2011-03-19 23:50:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

CAIRO (BNO NEWS) -- Long queues were reported on Saturday as Egyptians cast their ballots in a constitutional referendum, five weeks after Hosni Mubarak was toppled as president, Ahram online reported.

Polling stations opened at 8am with long queues already formed, forcing some voters to go to other stations. Angry voters, who refused to go to other polling stations, held a protest in the governorate of Qena after being unable to vote because no judges were available to supervise the voting processes. Egyptian state TV reported earlier that the military was sending two planes carrying judges to Qena and other places.

According to Ahram online, a judge supervising the voting said that the number of voters is more than for any other referendum or election he has supervised.

The largely peaceful day was marred, however, after Presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei was attacked while on his way to cast his vote at a polling station in Cairo.

" went to vote with [my] family [and was] attacked by organized thugs," ElBaradei said on his official Twitter account. "Car [were] smashed with rocks. Holding [a] referendum in absence of law and order is an irresponsible act."

ElBaradei was unable to vote and left the area. It had been reported earlier that he was returning to Egypt from a trip to India to cast his vote. The Nobel Peace Prize winner has been urging Egyptians to vote "No" to the constitutional amendments, while many Islamic groups have been campaigning for a "Yes" vote.

If approved, the constitutional changes would pave the way for Egypt to hold new presidential and parliamentary elections within six months. It would also reduce presidential terms from six years to four years.

The Egyptian Coalition for Monitoring the Referendum issued its first report around noon, saying that some stations failed to open on time and that votes have been cast outside of the regulatory curtains. In addition, a large number of voting forms were unstamped.

The report also mentioned that Muslim Brotherhood members were allegedly telling people to vote 'Yes' as they queue, breaking the polling day rules set by the voting committee. It was also reported earlier that Salafist groups across the country have been telling people that voting "No" is sinful and goes against Sharia law.

Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie said after casting his vote that they will accept the results of the referendum, regardless of the outcome, Ahram online reported.

Due to the unprecendent turnout, the Supreme Judicial Committee announced that the voting period was being extended.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-03-19

"The Egyptian Coalition for Monitoring the Referendum issued its first report around noon, saying that some stations failed to open on time and that votes have been cast outside of the regulatory curtains. In addition, a large number of voting forms were unstamped.

The report also mentioned that Muslim Brotherhood members were allegedly telling people to vote 'Yes' as they queue, breaking the polling day rules set by the voting committee. It was also reported earlier that Salafist groups across the country have been telling people that voting "No" is sinful and goes against Sharia law."

So it's goodbye Mubarrak the dictactor and hello Egyptian 'democracy' The chances of any middle eastern state converting to a true democracy as oppose to an Islamic theocracy are sadly remote indeed. Ever heard of the domino effect Mr Obama.