BICOM

Egyptians voted to approve a series of constitutional reforms which will pave the way for new parliamentary and presidential elections later this year. Fourteen million Egyptians, 77.2% of the eligible voters, took part in the vote, which took place on Sunday. Among the constitutional reforms approved were time limits for the period of incumbency of the president, judicial supervision of elections, and setting of the ways by which candidates can be eligible to stand. The main political significance of the decision, however, is that it paves the way for elections in the coming months. The Muslim Brotherhood organisation campaigned for a ‘yes’ vote in the referendum, while some of the more liberal oppositionist groups favoured a longer wait for elections. This is because while the Muslim Brotherhood possesses a strong countrywide political organisation, liberal democratic parties are only just beginning to organise, and thus fear that early elections could potentially benefit their opponents.