Egyptian police clashes with the opposition on referendum day
Egypt, Politics, 5/26/2005

The square facing the tomb of Saad Zaghkoul in Cairo was converted into a square of fighting. This happened after the police interfered to disperse by force a demonstration called-for by Kefaya (enough) opposition movement, to boycott the referendum held yesterday on amending article 76 of the constitution.

This article of the constitution will allow multiple candidates in the presidential elections, a change that is seen by the opposition as cosmetic, because of the many restriction it imposes on candidates to qualify for entering the elections.

Witnesses said that some 50 persons of the supporters of the ruling national party were summoned in a hurry to the place of the demonstration and they were carrying banners supporting the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The witnesses said that the police permitted Mubarak's supporters to demonstrate while they cordoned Kefaya's supporters and arrested many of them while beating others.

In al-Esma'eleyah city which overlooks the Suez canal, the security forces prevented some 150 persons of Kefaya members and opposition parties from demonstrating before the courts. Witnesses said that the security forces besieged the demonstrators inside the building of the complex.

Concerning the turnout on the ballot centers which were opened on Wednesday before 32.5 million voters, news reports in Cairo said that the turnout movement in the first hours were very limited. However, an improvement happened in later hours, the reports expected the rate of supporters to the referendum to exceed 50%. Witnesses said that several private companies transferred its employees in buses to the voting centers.

News reports indicated that the police prevented the supporters of the opposition from gathering around the election centers while this was permitted for the supporters of the ruling party.

President Mubarak cased his vote in one of the typical schools in Egypt in Misr al-Jideda. He was accompanied by his wife and his two sons Jamal and Ala and several state officials. The minister of the interior Habib al-Adeli will announce the results of the referendum in a press conference today and the ballot centers to have had closed on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ( Egypt local time).

The ballot centers are supervised by a committee that includes 110,000 employees chosen from state employees but not working in the Ministry of the Interior. Judges supervise these committees as well as 329 committees in charge of selecting the votes.

Previous Stories:
  Mubarak receives report on Arab common market status   (5/25/2005)
  Mubarak calls on Egyptians to actively take part in referendum   (5/25/2005)
  Egyptian judiciary rejects halting referendum on the constitution   (5/24/2005)
  Washington criticizes detention of Muslim Brothers   (5/24/2005)

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