The second round of voting in Egypt’s contentious constitutional referendum was marred by low turnout and delay as the crisis in the country continued.
It was expected that the second round of voting would see an even lower turnout at the polls than the first round earlier this month, at which just 32% voted. Friday saw clashes between supporters of President Mohamed Morsi and opponents in Alexandria, resulting in 51 arrests.
The voting process was divided over two stages because of a shortage of judges to oversee the ballots. Many had gone on strike in protest at a decree issued by Morsi late last month giving him judicial immunity. Morsi used the powers in the decree to call for a referendum on a draft constitution, whose validity has been disputed.
The first round of voting saw 56% in favour of passing the draft constitution. Major cities such as Cairo favoured rejecting the draft, but there was a higher percentage of yes votes in the countryside. Hours before polls closed, Morsi’s vice-president, Mahmoud Mekki, announced his resignation. The move was in part expected since the new charter would eliminate the vice presidency post. But Mekki hinted that the hurried departure could be linked to Morsi’s policies. “I have realized a while ago that the nature of politics don’t suit my professional background as a judge,” his resignation letter, read on state TV, said. He said he had first submitted his resignation last month but events forced him to stay on.
