In the first vote since a popular revolt toppled former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, 98.1 percent of voters supported the newly formed Egyptian constitution in a two-day referendum.
The turnout was lower than some officials had predicted, with only 38.6 percent of the 53 million eligible voters taking part. Such low numbers -— although actually higher than all other referendums held since the removal of Mubarak -— may reflect a general fear that the Islamists would make good on their threat to ruin the election process with acts of terror. Others may have absented themselves out of sheer disappointment in the failure of every election and referendum since the beginning of Hosni Mubarak's rule to improve their daily lives. They may have just expected more of the same, and so couldn't be bothered to participate. Moreover, the referendum was held during student exam week and the long lines may have persuaded some students to study rather than cast their votes.
The poll results show that approximately 20 million Egyptians approved the current constitution as opposed to approximately 10 million who supported the Islamist constitution offered by the Muslim Brotherhood during the Morsi regime. 98.1% approved the current constitution compared to 66% who supported the Muslim Brotherhood constitution. In other words, less than 2% disapprove of the new constitution, while more than 30% disapproved of the Sharia-inspired Muslim Brotherhood constitution. These results are compatible with recent election results within Egyptian professional associations and unions — both of which have shown a very similar pattern of devastating defeat of the Islamists. This widespread voter attitude is a clear indication that a significant and consistent shift against the Muslim Brotherhood has occurred within Egyptian society.
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