Egypt opposition claims vote fraud

Egyptian journalists tape their mouths and raise their pens during a demonstration against the draft constitution in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Egypt's opposition called Sunday for an investigation into allegations of vote fraud in the referendum on a deeply divisive Islamist-backed constitution after the Muslim Brotherhood, the main group backing the charter, claimed it passed with a 64 percent "yes" vote. Official results have not been released yet and are expected on Monday. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Egyptian journalists tape their mouths and raise their pens during a demonstration against the draft constitution in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Egypt's opposition called Sunday for an investigation into allegations of vote fraud in the referendum on a deeply divisive Islamist-backed constitution after the Muslim Brotherhood, the main group backing the charter, claimed it passed with a 64 percent "yes" vote. Official results have not been released yet and are expected on Monday. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

— Egypt’s opposition said Sunday that it will keep fighting the Islamist backed constitution after the Muslim Brotherhood, the main group backing the charter, claimed it passed with a 64 percent “yes” vote in a referendum.

The opposition alleged vote fraud and demanded an investigation - a sign that the referendum will not end the turmoil that has roiled the country for nearly two years since the uprising that ousted authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak. Many Egyptians, especially the tens of millions who live in extreme poverty, had hoped the new constitution might usher in a period of more stability.

A heated political debate over the past month leading up to the referendum at times turned into deadly street battles. There were no mass opposition demonstrations on Sunday after the unofficial results came out.

Renewed violence and political tensions have further imperiled Egypt’s already precarious economy, reeling from dwindling resources and a cash-strapped government whose plans to borrow from the International Monetary Fund had to be pushed back because of the turmoil.

The finance ministry said Sunday the budget deficit reached $13 billion in the five months from July-November, about 4.5 percent higher compared to the same period last year.

Official results of the referendum are expected today. If the unofficial numbers are confirmed, it will be a victory for President Mohammed Morsi, who is from the Brotherhood.

But beyond the allegations of fraud, the opposition will likely challenge new laws issued on the basis of the constitution as well as Morsi’s economic policies.

“The referendum is not the end game. It is only a battle in this long struggle for the future of Egypt,” said the National Salvation Front, the main opposition group. “We will not allow a change to the identity of Egypt or the return of the age of tyranny.”

Former presidential candidate and opposition leader Hamdeen Sabahi agreed, saying at a Cairo news conference, “We trust that the door of peaceful protests and peaceful civic resistance is open to Egyptians to topple this constitution.”

The opposition claims the new constitution seeks to enshrine Islamic rule in Egypt and accuses the Islamists of trying to monopolize power.

Critics say it does not sufficiently protect the rights of women and minority groups and empowers Muslim clerics by giving them a say over legislation. Some articles also were seen as tailored to get rid of Islamists’ enemies and undermine the freedom of labor unions.

The latest political battle began with Morsi’s Nov. 22 decrees that gave him powers to protect the Islamist dominated panel writing the constitution and dismiss the country’s top prosecutor, a holdover from the Mubarak era.

Although Morsi subsequently rescinded the powers that gave him immunity from judicial oversight, his decision to replace the prosecutor general was viewed by many in the judiciary as trampling over their powers. Hundreds of prosecutors held a rally Sunday demanding the new, Morsi-appointed prosecutor general quit, days after he retracted his resignation claiming it was rendered under pressure.

The prosecutors said in a news conference that they will be on strike until he quits.

Scores of lawyers who support Morsi’s decision held an earlier rally, demanding that the top prosecutor stay, and accusing the opposition of being “thugs.”

A day before the official results of the constitution are expected, the opposition front said it filed complaints to the country’s top prosecutor and the election commission asking for an investigation.

“The results of the referendum are for sure because of the rigging, violations and mismanagement that characterized it,” the National Salvation Front said.

It alleged the vote was marred by lack of complete judicial supervision, which led to overcrowding that pushed down the voting rate. It also charged there was interference by those who were supposed to be supervising the vote, with some instructing people to vote “yes.” Many judges who traditionally supervise elections boycotted supervising the vote.

“We don’t think the results reflect the true desires of the Egyptian people,” Khaled Dawoud, the front’s spokesman, said.

Responding to claims of vote-rigging and other violations, Essam el-Erian, vice chairman of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, said “all accusations against the referendum process are untrue,” according to MENA. He said the will of voters must be respected and called for a national dialogue to end divisions, it reported.

If violations are found and are considered serious enough, there could be new votes in some areas that might alter the results slightly.

Both the Freedom and Justice Party and ultra-conservative Salafist Nour Party issued statements on Sunday calling for a reconciliation between national political forces and dialogue to avert future conflict.

The Freedom and Justice Party said it hoped the passage of the constitution would be a “historic opportunity” to heal Egypt’s divisions and launch a dialogue to restore stability and build state institutions.

The Front said that regardless of the results, it welcomed the participation of many who rejected the constitution and refused to consider it a vote on Islamic law. The group vowed to continue to “democratically” work to change the constitution and praised the high turnout of women.

The Islamists say Islam is core to Egypt’s identity and they view the constitution as a foundation to move forward, elect a parliament and build state institutions.

Another major concern in the fight over the constitution is Egypt’s deteriorating economy, which has been battered by the two years of turmoil and taken an added hit from recently renewed violence.

The government stressed the urgency of stability.

“The financial and economic situations are dire,” government spokesman Alaa el-Hadidi said, according to comments published by the state news agency MENA. With the referendum behind, el-Hadidi said economic policies must be at the center of attention, adding that the government will work to improve the investment environment to attract foreign investors.

The government had to postpone a request for $4.8 billion of International Monetary Fund loans, putting off unpopular tax increases and other changes until after the referendum for fear they would stoke political tensions.

The new constitution will come into effect once official results are announced.

Once that happens, Morsi is expected to call for the election of parliament’s lower chamber, the more powerful of the legislature’s two houses, within two months.

The opposition said that even though it is challenging the results of the referendum, it will continue to prepare for the parliamentary elections.

Until the lower chamber is elected, the normally toothless upper house, or Shura Council, will have legislative powers.

On Sunday, Morsi appointed 90 new members to the Islamist-controlled Shura Council as part of his efforts to make the council more representative. The new appointments included at least 30 Islamists and a dozen Christians. They also include eight women, four of them Christians.

The opposition front said it did not want its members nominated to the Shura Council, now made up of 270 members.

Information for this article was contributed by Sarah El Deeb of The Associated Press; by Ingy Hassieb, Abigal Hauslohner and Sharaf al-Hourani of The Washington Post; and by Mariam Fam, Tarek El-Tablawy, Salma El Wardany and Ahmed A. Namatalla of Bloomberg News.

Front Section, Pages 1 on 12/24/2012

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