A final push for ‘yes’ vote on referendum

Campaigning for a “yes” vote in the upcoming referendum on the draft constitution is intensifying as political players and prominent figures call on voters to endorse the document.

On Saturday, Defense Minister Colonel General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on Egyptians to “bear their national duty by participating in the constitutional referendum to correct the democratic path and build a modern democratic state,” according to the official Middle East News Agency (MENA).

Sisi was speaking at a seminar attended by Chief of Staff General Sedky Sobhy and other high-ranking members of the Armed Forces, along with Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim and Amr Moussa, head of the committee that drafted the new constitution.

The Saturday seminar was the eighth of its kind organized by the Armed Forces’ Moral Affairs Department.

Sisi called on military personnel to be vigilant, and to take all necessary measures to protect citizens and create a safe environment for them to express their opinion freely during the referendum.

Military and Interior Ministry forces will work together to secure the streets and polling stations during the referendum, set to take place on January 14 and 15.

Mohamed Abul Ghar, head of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, said the new draft of the constitution “rivals the French constitution when it comes to rights and freedoms while establishing the foundation for the dignity and freedom of Egyptian citizens,” according to state news portal Egynews.

Speaking at a conference organized by the party in Beni Suef, Abul Ghar lauded stipulations in the new draft of the constitution which give parliament the right to hold a no-confidence vote on the president. He also highlighted that parliament must approve the president’s Cabinet appointments.

He added that a “yes” vote in the referendum will lead to a realization of the demands of the “January 25 revolution and its corrective wave on June 30.”

At the end of the conference, participants raised pictures of Sisi and chanted calls for him to run for president, according to Egynews.

Meanwhile, any talk of voting “no” was muted ahead of the referendum.

A poll conducted in December by Baseera, the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research, revealed that 76 percent of respondents would participate in the referendum, and 74 percent of them would vote “yes.”

Over half of those surveyed said they had not read the proposed new charter, and 36 percent said they had read sections of it. Meanwhile, 14 percent of participants said they were planning to boycott the referendum, and 10 percent were undecided.

Even before the 50-member committee tasked with drafting a the constitution had completed its work, campaigning for a “yes” vote began, with huge billboards on main roadways as well as print, television and radio ads.

The April 6 Youth Movement and the Strong Egypt Party have been calling for a “no” vote. However, the party has said it is considering a boycott after three of its members were arrested on January 8 while distributing “no” posters.

Late on Friday, the party said in a statement that another of its members, Mahmoud Imam, was detained after returning from the Kasr al-Nil Police Station, where the three members of the party are being held. The party says Imam was stopped at a checkpoint in Abbasseya, where he was allegedly assaulted by security forces and then taken to Dhaher Police Station after he was found in possession of “no” posters.

In a statement, the party said that the arrests are part of a wider crackdown on anyone who objects to the new constitution, “who have been called traitors by officials, governors and the media.”

Meanwhile, Younes Makhyoun, head of the Salafi Nour Party, visited Wadi al-Gedid governorate as part of the party’s “yes” campaign tour. The Nour Party has endorsed the new draft of the constitution; the party took part in the drafting of the document, providing one of the only Islamist representatives on the 50-member committee.

The party’s participation has been viewed as giving legitimacy to the process, showing the inclusion of voices from the Islamist stream, since the draft committee did not include any members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group or its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party.

The Nour Party is scheduled to host a similar conference in the Matrouh Governorate on Monday.

Prime Minster Hazem al-Beblawi said in a televised interview on Friday evening that the new draft of the constitution is more of a step forward than previous versions, and enjoys “the respect and acceptance of a majority of the population,” reported Egynews.

Beblawi described the upcoming referendum as the “real fruit of the January 25 and June 30 revolutions.”

The referendum comes at a time of deepening polarization between supporters of the army-backed interim government and supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi. Somewhere in the middle lies a small constituency that has refused to accept either side, and objects to descriptions of the June 30 public protests in support of Morsi’s removal as a continuation of the January 25 uprising.

Beblawi said the government “has not relied solely on security measures to combat Brotherhood terrorism, but has exerted political efforts characterized by reason and wisdom.”

The labeling of the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization has been viewed as bringing to a halt any political negotiations between the two sides.

Beblawi said that he expects violence from the Brotherhood to continue in fluctuating degrees as the referendum nears, and added that the security situation is becoming increasingly stable.

Four people were killed in clashes between Brotherhood supporters and security forces on Friday, while more than 160 were arrested. The previous Friday, 13 were killed and more than 200 arrested.

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former secretary general of the United Nations, said on Saturday that the constitution “guarantees citizens’ rights and meets the universal standards of human rights,” reported state news agency MENA.

Ghali said he plans on voting “yes” in the referendum, adding that the constitution will “carry Egypt from the transitional process through to a state of law, democracy and respect for human rights.”

Renowned heart surgeon Magdy Yacoub also called on Egyptians to partake in the referendum this week, describing the constitution as “an indispensable step towards building the future,” according to Egynews.