Egypt vote for reform referendum

Egypt vote for reform referendum
CAIRO: Egypt went for voting on Saturday in a referendum on constitutional amendments as the military rulers hope will open the door to elections within six months.A high turnout is expected for the vote, the first in living memory whose outcome has not been known in advance.The referendum has divided Egypt between those who say the constitution needs a complete rewrite and others who argue that the amendments will suffice for now.The polls opened at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) and close at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT). The result is expected to be announced on Sunday evening or Monday morning, a member of a judicial committee involved in overseeing the vote said.

People queued to vote at one polling station in central Cairo."I am certainly going to vote. I came as early as I could to go and vote. I couldn't wait," said Eman Helal, a pharmacy store owner in her late twenties.The reforms are designed to open the door to legislative and presidential elections that will allow the military to hand power to a civilian, elected government.

The military took power after President Hosni Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11. He was forced from office by a wave of mass protests against his three decades in power.One of the reforms, drawn up by a judicial committee formed by the military rulers, limits the amount of time a president can stay in office to two four-year terms.The ballot paper presents voters with the full list of the amendments and the choices of "agree" or "don't agree". Voters emerged from the polling stations bearing the ink-stained finger that was proof they had cast their ballot.Media agencies:

Mar 21, 9:47 AM Reports just received that Egyptian voters have approved the Constitutional Changes in the referendum held on Saturday. The chief of Egypt 's elections commission announced on state television that 77.2 per cent people voted in favour of a package of constitutional amendments.
The changes eliminate restrictions on political rights and open the way for parliamentary and presidential elections within months. Opponents including youth organisations argued that the timeframe was too quick for political parties to organize.Egypt 's best-organized political forces -- the Muslim Brotherhood and members of the former ruling party campaigned for passage.

Those rejected 22.8 percent opposed the amendments includes Opponents including youth organisations argued that the timeframe was too quick for political parties to organize. Egypt 's Muslim Brotherhood and members of the former ruling party campaigned for passage.About half of amendments deal with the conduct of elections, one would make it easier for independent candidates to run for president; another would re-establish judicial oversight of elections. The amendment will also limit the tenure of president to two terms consisting maximum eight years.