EGYPT'S VICE PRESIDENT RESIGNS AMID POLLS

Cairo, 10 Shafar 1434/23 December 2012 (Al Jazera/MINA) Egypt’s Vice President Mahmoud Mekki has announced his resignation on the day of a referendum on a new constitution, state TV reported.

Mahmoud Mekki’s resignation on Saturday was announced with more than five hours to go of voting in the second and final phase of a referendum on a disputed, Muslim Brotherhood-backed constitution.

Mekki, a career judge, has said he intends to quit once the charter is adopted.

The new constitution eliminates the post of vice president.

However, a statement by Mekki read on state TV hinted that the motive of his hurried departure could be linked to the policies of President Mohamed Morsi.

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“I have realised a while ago that the nature of politics don’t suit my professional genesis as a judge,” he wrote. He said he first submitted his resignation last month but events forced him to stay on.

Mekki took a leading role in hosting “national unity” talks called by Morsi, although the main opposition politicians stayed away. Mekki, 58, was a respected judge before Morsi named him to the post in August.

He led judicial opposition to ousted leader Hosni Mubarak, but eschewed calls to become a presidential candidate himself, saying he wished to stay politically independent. (T/R-012/R-006)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)