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Most Egyptians Support New Constitution in Referendum

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A majority of Egyptians voted in support of the country’s controversial new Constitution after the first round of the referendum, the Muslim Brotherhood movement announced on Sunday.

CAIRO, December 16 (RIA Novosti) – A majority of Egyptians voted in support of the country’s controversial new Constitution after the first round of the referendum, the Muslim Brotherhood movement announced on Sunday.

With 98 percent of ballot papers counted after the referendum’s first stage, which was held on Saturday and covered ten Egyptian provinces, 56.4 percent of Egyptians voted for the new Constitution. Only two out of ten Egyptian provinces, including the capital Cairo, voted against the Constitution, Muslim Brotherhood, which supports incumbent President Mohamed Morsi, said in a statement.

In the meantime, the opposition National Salvation Front uniting the most influential liberal and democratic parties claimed that about 60 percent of Egyptians had voted against the constitution.

The official results of the Egyptian all-nation referendum on the new Constitution will be announced after the second round scheduled for December 22.

The referendum, as well as Morsi’s controversial constitutional declaration have ignited Egypt's worst political crisis since Morsi's election in June.

Both supporters and opponents of Morsi have been rallying in Cairo and other Egyptian cities ever since he announced his decision to hold a nationwide referendum on the new Constitution, approved by the constituent assembly last month.

Violent clashes between opposing groups left seven people dead and hundreds injured last week.

The National Salvation Front has already reported about some 700 cases of violation during the voting, including ballot-stuffing and the use of forged ballots.

Some 120,000 officers and soldiers, about 6,000 units of military hardware as well as combat helicopters were providing security across the country during the first round of the referendum on Saturday.

 

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