Egypt votes on military-backed constitution

Egyptians took to the polls amid tight security on Tuesday, January 14, in a referendum on a new constitution likely to launch a presidential bid by the army chief who overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Polling at most stations was smooth, but 8 people were killed in sporadic clashes outside Cairo between Morsi supporters and police and anti-Morsi groups, security officials said. An Islamist coalition led by the former president’s Muslim Brotherhood had urged protests and a boycott of the two-day vote, which concludes on Wednesday, January 15. The charter has done away with much of the Islamist-inspired wording of Morsi’s constitution, suspended on his overthrow, and its supporters say it expands women’s rights and freedom of speech. But it has bolstered the military’s powers, granting the army the right to appoint the defense minister for the next eight years and to try civilians for attacks on the armed forces. The Egyptian military is seen by many as a strong and influential institution in the country’s fractured political system.


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