Tag: vote

Reform to preserve
According to President Hosni Mubarak, the amendments to the country's constitution that were approved by 75.9% of the voters in a national referendum on March 26th were a first step towards a more democratic future for Egypt. That sounds nice, except that the Egyptian leader's opponents contested not only the amendments but also the legitimacy of the referendum itself, which they termed a “constitutional coup”.

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Egypt introduces changes, but much remains the same
Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) should be congratulated for its handling of the March 26 referendum. Well-scripted, timed, and executed, it also fulfilled the public's expectations. Everyone knew the vote would favor the institution of 34 constitutional amendments drafted by the state. They knew it so well that only an estimated 10 percent of registered voters, the bulk of which are, in all probability, employed either by the state or NDP backers, bothered going to the polls.

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