Egyptian voters back election changes in constitutional referendum News
Egyptian voters back election changes in constitutional referendum

[JURIST] In what Interior Minister Habib al-Adli claimed was the largest turnout ever in a registered referendum, 83% of Egyptian voters have backed a change in election law [JURIST report] that allows multi-candidate presidential elections. The high turnout was marred however by attacks from Egyptian police and demonstrators [JURIST report] against anti-referendum activists, attacks which President Bush Thursday condemned as counter to the notion of free elections. The pro-reform group Kifaya [Wikipedia entry], opposed to the measure and to President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party [official website], claimed that NDP supporters had attacked marchers and women with police nonintervention. Mubarak, in power since 1981, is expected to announce soon that he will run for a fifth term. AFP has more.