afrol News, 26 May - According to official results, 83 percent of Egyptians said "yes" to constitutional amendments in a referendum, which will introduce multi-candidate presidential elections. Several opposition groups however boycotted the referendum, claiming the reforms only aim at legitimising President Hosni Mubarak's further grip on power.

Until now, Egyptians have only been allowed to vote "yes" or "no" to the official presidential candidate in referendums every four years. No alternative candidates were allowed. With the new constitutional amendments approved, optimists hope that Egypt will be the second North African country, after Algeria, where the population gets a limited chance to change its Head of State in elections.

This view is however not shared by a united front of six Egyptian opposition groups, which includes the Muslim Brotherhood. The groups called for a boycott of Wednesday's referendum, saying that the reforms would only serve to create a false democratic image to a non-democratic regime. They expect that only pro-forma candidates will be allowed to challenge President Mubarak when he runs for a fifth term in September this year.

Actually, the constitutional amendment foresees that presidential candidates will have to be approved by at least 250 politicians from the upper and/or lower houses of parliament. Both chambers are totally dominated by pro-Mubarak politicians. Popular opposition candidates will find it difficult to find approval in these institutions.

Despite the opposition's call for a boycott, the referendum noted a relatively high voter turnout, at least according to a statement by the Interior Ministry. Some 16.4 million Egyptians had cast their vote on Wednesday, representing around 54 percent of all registered voters. The official turnout therefore was much higher as in typical parliamentary and presidential "elections".

This relatively high voter turnout and an approval rate of 83 percent were seen as a victory for President Mubarak - who had proposed the pro-democracy reforms - and his government. The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and the President had strongly advocated the reform and urged Egyptians to cast their "yes" vote.

Opposition spokesmen however claimed the Interior Ministry was lying about the turnout, claiming it had been much lower than 50 percent. Thus, they hold, a majority of Egyptians had observed their boycott of the "phoney referendum" and consequently, President Mubarak could not claim victory in the referendum. There were no independent election observers present to confirm the claims of the government or the opposition.

The opposition's claims of election violence has however been confirmed by various sources. NDP militants and police officers on several occasions had been observed attacking the opposition's boycott campaigners, beating them in public. Around 60 protesters and campaigners had been arrested, according to press reports.

With the constitutional amendment approved, Egypt's September presidential elections will for the first time see one or several candidates challenging the incumbent. President Mubarak has been in power since the then Vice-President took over for assassinated President Anwar el-Sadaat in 1981. Few believe he will not achieve a fifth presidential term.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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