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Voting on New Constitution. Muslim Brotherhood Violence

The world awaits first step of new Egyptian roadmap



Cairo, Egypt--Seems that the whole world is keeping an eye on Egypt these days, waiting for the result of the referendum on the new constitution, which will be voted on tomorrow, Tuesday, and Wednesday, with results expected in by next Thursday.
Spokeswoman of the U.S. State Department, Jane Saki, said that her country is closely monitoring the process of the new Egyptian constitution, stressing that the Egyptian people alone have the right to decide the future of this constitution. Saki pointed that Washington is hoping that Egypt will have a constitution that protects the rights and freedoms of all citizens, and that the United States is committed to a long-term relationship with Egypt. She added that the success of the transitional phase of democracy in Egypt is not only important for the Egyptians, but for the entire middle east and the United States as well. Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the European Foreign Affairs, said that the constitutional process could provide an opportunity for political dialogue leading to democratic elections, and fair representation of different political views in parliament, and that the European Union continues to provide support to achieve the aspirations of the revolution in January 2011, for social justice, human rights and good economy. Yesterday, a delegation from the British House of Lords came to Egypt to meet the Minister of Interior, and talk about the efforts made by the state in its fight against terrorism and preparations for the referendum on the new constitution. The Muslim Brotherhood’s efforts aim to disrupt the referendum process and terrorize the citizens to prevent them from voting on the new constitution. The delegation said that the U.K is waiting for the results of the Constitution to follow the steps of the roadmap developed by the Egyptian authorities after the overthrow of the Brotherhood.

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The Egyptian government launched a huge media campaign to encourage people to vote ‘yes’ on the new constitution, which the government considers a matter of life or death. A ‘yes’ vote will give the government the authority to continue on course towards the presidential and parliamentary elections. It would give it the needed legitimacy and tell the whole world that what happened last June was not a coup and that the majority of people approved the constitution proposed by the new government. It will serve as a new mandate for General El-Sisi to run for presidential elections as many people in Egypt want and asks him to be the next president. It is considered by many that the approval of the new constitution will write a “death certificate” for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, because this constitution forbids political parties based on religions, and it would put an end to the Brotherhood’s Constitution which has been in place since 2012. The Brotherhood is trying to scare people from going to vote and is spreading rumors about bombings, suicide attacks and riots around the voting polls. And they rally their followers to disrupt the referendum, but the army has responded by distributing more than 160,000 officers and soldiers--in addition to police forces deployed--to secure electoral headquarters, protect citizens and to eliminate any attempts by the Brotherhood to disrupt the referendum process. The results of Egyptians votes abroad brought much relief for the government and the Egyptians, because the results of the vote were all "yes" with percentages ranging from 85% to 98%. And it is considered by many observers that these results are strong indications of the result of the referendum inside Egypt as well. But what is hard to understand--at least for me--is that the government claims that a “yes” vote is like a magic wand that will instantly eliminate terrorism; that the Brotherhood and other armed militias will disappear overnight. It seems that the government here is trying to promote the constitution through some lies as well. It has not been able to eliminate the Brotherhood and their daily demonstrations which always end with deadly violence on a daily basis, despite the government's law, which prevents demonstrating without permission and is punishable by imprisonment for any acts of violence in demonstrations. Despite the inclusion of the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, with all the powers of law given to the government in dealing with terrorist groups, and although the army, the police, the judiciary, and most of the people support the new government in its war against the Brotherhood and other armed groups, the government has yet to eliminate the Brotherhood or even stop their daily demonstrations and riots. Now, that weak government and its aging president, want to sell us the illusion that the word “yes” is equal to the word “Open Sesame” in Legends of the Arabian nights.


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Ali Al Sharnoby -- Bio and Archives

Ali Alsharnoby, an Egyptian journalist and deputy editor, worked in many Egyptian newspapers.

Studied at university of Cairo, faculty of law.. and wrote a number of books about the political trends in the Islamic view.


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