Post by peterd on Jan 8, 2013 10:09:52 GMT -8
Having Lost Fight For Constitution, Egyptian Opposition Prepares To Fight For Parliament
In the recent referendum, Egypt's new constitution was approved by almost 64% of voters. Only some 16 million out of 50 million eligible voters (approximately 30%) participated, of which some 10 million voted yes and some 6 million voted no.[1] The approval of the constitution, however predictable, was a defeat for the Egyptian opposition, represented by the National Salvation Front (headed by Mohamed ElBaradei, Hamdin Sabahi, and 'Amr Moussa), which had called on the Egyptian public to vote against it.
However, though disappointed by the results, Egyptian opposition circles also see them as a substantial achievement indicating the opposition's potential for success. Moreover, they claim that widespread violations and fraud prevented an even bigger achievement for the opposition, and, in fact, invalidate the referendum. Accordingly, the National Salvation Front, the Egyptian Judges Club and civil society organizations have filed lawsuits demanding to revoke the results.[2] At the same time, the opposition is also attempting to draw conclusions and prepare for the next campaign – namely the campaign for the People's Assembly (the lower house of parliament).
www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6916.htm
In the recent referendum, Egypt's new constitution was approved by almost 64% of voters. Only some 16 million out of 50 million eligible voters (approximately 30%) participated, of which some 10 million voted yes and some 6 million voted no.[1] The approval of the constitution, however predictable, was a defeat for the Egyptian opposition, represented by the National Salvation Front (headed by Mohamed ElBaradei, Hamdin Sabahi, and 'Amr Moussa), which had called on the Egyptian public to vote against it.
However, though disappointed by the results, Egyptian opposition circles also see them as a substantial achievement indicating the opposition's potential for success. Moreover, they claim that widespread violations and fraud prevented an even bigger achievement for the opposition, and, in fact, invalidate the referendum. Accordingly, the National Salvation Front, the Egyptian Judges Club and civil society organizations have filed lawsuits demanding to revoke the results.[2] At the same time, the opposition is also attempting to draw conclusions and prepare for the next campaign – namely the campaign for the People's Assembly (the lower house of parliament).
www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6916.htm