Jan 14, 2014
The Muslim Brotherhood, whose members largely supported ousted President Mohamed Morsi, called to boycott the elections after being branded a "terrorist organization" and expelled from political circles in late December.
Brotherhood supporters staged protests in at least four cities Tuesday and, according to Egypt's Health Ministry, 11 protesters were killed and an additional 28 were wounded in clashes with security forces. The ministry says the deaths occurred in Cairo, the adjacent province of Giza and two provinces south of the capital, Bani Suef and Sohag, Al Jazeera reports.
Sixty-five additional protesters were arrested after allegedly attempting to obstruct voting.
For Egyptian voters the symbolism of the vote has largely out shown the contents of the referendum. As the Guardian's Patrick Kingsley reported from Cairo:
The referendum, which continues on Wednesday, ostensibly seeks national consent for a series of amendments to Egypt's constitution. But the state and its supporters have also positioned it as not just a poll on the text's contents, but as a ratification of Morsi's overthrow, and as the only means of re-establishing order in a country ravaged by three years of post-revolutionary chaos.
The draft constitution deletes much of the Islamic language written into law under Morsi's rule. However, opponents highlight certain clauses which they say allow for civilians to be tried in army courts, curb workers' rights and limit religious freedoms to members of the three Abrahamic religions.
Though political officials and supporters of the referendum touted the "historic turnout" of the vote, circulating images of long voting queues, observers note that the reports of violence highlight the divisive state of Egyptian politics.
As Kingsley notes,few individuals "have been either willing or given the space to express an alternative view - and most journalists could not find a single person planning to vote no."
Outside of the protests, evidence of opposition was scarce after 35 members of the "no" campaign group Strong Egypt--a moderate Islamist party opposed to the military crackdown that followed Morsi's ouster--were arrested on the campaign trail.
As Washington Post Cairo Bureau Chief, Abigail Hauslohner, tweeted Tuesday:
\u201cIn case you're still not sure how 2 vote on the military's new constitution, just remember: those who campaigned fr a "No" vote got arrested\u201d— Abigail Hauslohner (@Abigail Hauslohner) 1389696618
"It's a fake process," Mohamed el-Baqr, an official with Strong Egypt, told the Guardian. "The choice on the ballot paper is effectively between a box for yes, and a box for handcuffs."
_____________________
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
The Muslim Brotherhood, whose members largely supported ousted President Mohamed Morsi, called to boycott the elections after being branded a "terrorist organization" and expelled from political circles in late December.
Brotherhood supporters staged protests in at least four cities Tuesday and, according to Egypt's Health Ministry, 11 protesters were killed and an additional 28 were wounded in clashes with security forces. The ministry says the deaths occurred in Cairo, the adjacent province of Giza and two provinces south of the capital, Bani Suef and Sohag, Al Jazeera reports.
Sixty-five additional protesters were arrested after allegedly attempting to obstruct voting.
For Egyptian voters the symbolism of the vote has largely out shown the contents of the referendum. As the Guardian's Patrick Kingsley reported from Cairo:
The referendum, which continues on Wednesday, ostensibly seeks national consent for a series of amendments to Egypt's constitution. But the state and its supporters have also positioned it as not just a poll on the text's contents, but as a ratification of Morsi's overthrow, and as the only means of re-establishing order in a country ravaged by three years of post-revolutionary chaos.
The draft constitution deletes much of the Islamic language written into law under Morsi's rule. However, opponents highlight certain clauses which they say allow for civilians to be tried in army courts, curb workers' rights and limit religious freedoms to members of the three Abrahamic religions.
Though political officials and supporters of the referendum touted the "historic turnout" of the vote, circulating images of long voting queues, observers note that the reports of violence highlight the divisive state of Egyptian politics.
As Kingsley notes,few individuals "have been either willing or given the space to express an alternative view - and most journalists could not find a single person planning to vote no."
Outside of the protests, evidence of opposition was scarce after 35 members of the "no" campaign group Strong Egypt--a moderate Islamist party opposed to the military crackdown that followed Morsi's ouster--were arrested on the campaign trail.
As Washington Post Cairo Bureau Chief, Abigail Hauslohner, tweeted Tuesday:
\u201cIn case you're still not sure how 2 vote on the military's new constitution, just remember: those who campaigned fr a "No" vote got arrested\u201d— Abigail Hauslohner (@Abigail Hauslohner) 1389696618
"It's a fake process," Mohamed el-Baqr, an official with Strong Egypt, told the Guardian. "The choice on the ballot paper is effectively between a box for yes, and a box for handcuffs."
_____________________
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
The Muslim Brotherhood, whose members largely supported ousted President Mohamed Morsi, called to boycott the elections after being branded a "terrorist organization" and expelled from political circles in late December.
Brotherhood supporters staged protests in at least four cities Tuesday and, according to Egypt's Health Ministry, 11 protesters were killed and an additional 28 were wounded in clashes with security forces. The ministry says the deaths occurred in Cairo, the adjacent province of Giza and two provinces south of the capital, Bani Suef and Sohag, Al Jazeera reports.
Sixty-five additional protesters were arrested after allegedly attempting to obstruct voting.
For Egyptian voters the symbolism of the vote has largely out shown the contents of the referendum. As the Guardian's Patrick Kingsley reported from Cairo:
The referendum, which continues on Wednesday, ostensibly seeks national consent for a series of amendments to Egypt's constitution. But the state and its supporters have also positioned it as not just a poll on the text's contents, but as a ratification of Morsi's overthrow, and as the only means of re-establishing order in a country ravaged by three years of post-revolutionary chaos.
The draft constitution deletes much of the Islamic language written into law under Morsi's rule. However, opponents highlight certain clauses which they say allow for civilians to be tried in army courts, curb workers' rights and limit religious freedoms to members of the three Abrahamic religions.
Though political officials and supporters of the referendum touted the "historic turnout" of the vote, circulating images of long voting queues, observers note that the reports of violence highlight the divisive state of Egyptian politics.
As Kingsley notes,few individuals "have been either willing or given the space to express an alternative view - and most journalists could not find a single person planning to vote no."
Outside of the protests, evidence of opposition was scarce after 35 members of the "no" campaign group Strong Egypt--a moderate Islamist party opposed to the military crackdown that followed Morsi's ouster--were arrested on the campaign trail.
As Washington Post Cairo Bureau Chief, Abigail Hauslohner, tweeted Tuesday:
\u201cIn case you're still not sure how 2 vote on the military's new constitution, just remember: those who campaigned fr a "No" vote got arrested\u201d— Abigail Hauslohner (@Abigail Hauslohner) 1389696618
"It's a fake process," Mohamed el-Baqr, an official with Strong Egypt, told the Guardian. "The choice on the ballot paper is effectively between a box for yes, and a box for handcuffs."
_____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.