EGYPT CLAIMS 98,1 % VOTERS APPROVED “CONTROVERSIAL” CONSTITUTION

Cairo, 17 Rabi’ul Awwal 1435/19 January 2014 (MINA) – The Egyptian Supreme Electoral Committee (SEC)  claimed that the newest referendum was approved by 98,1% of Egyptian voters.

Correspondent of Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) in Cairo, Sunday morning (19/1) reported the committee said that this referendum voting was followed by 20.5 million Egyptian out of 53 million who have the right to vote.

“According to the committee, 38.6 percent (20,613,677) of registered voters cast ballots in last week’s referendum on the draft constitution, although this numbers contradicted with  the media reports that mention of each governorates represent only about 11.3%,”  the correspondent said.

SEC head Nabil Salib says The number of ‘yes’ voters were 19,985,389, or 98,1%.  He also said about 381 thousand Egyptian or 1.9%  voted “NO” for the referendum.

He also claimed, 98.1 percent of Egyptians expatriates have also approved the constitution, with 15.7 percent out of a total 64,000 registered voters participating, Ahram reported.

While the media added, around 40 percent of registered expats voted in the 2012 constitution referendum, with more than 63 percent voting in favour of the charter.

The referendum voting which took place on 14-15 January, followed by protests in almost all Egyptian governorates, including Cairo and Giza. The anti-coup Alliance continues their peaceful protests demanding referendum boycott as they claim the new referendum inconstitutional since the military ousted its first freely elected president, Mohamed Morsi on July 3, 2013.(L/K11/P03/E1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)