Egypt Presidency Sees New Chapter as Charter Approved

Egypt’s new constitution was approved by 98 percent of voters in a referendum boycotted by the opposition and hailed by the army-backed government as vital in the transition to democracy after Mohamed Mursi’s ouster.

Voter turnout was about 39 percent, Nabil Salib, head of the Supreme Election Commission, told reporters in Cairo, with about 20 million of 53 million eligible citizens casting ballots. The two-day referendum was shunned by the Muslim Brotherhood, which fielded Mursi for the presidency and denounced the vote as an attempt to legitimize a coup. At least four people were killed and 15 wounded in clashes on Jan. 17 between security forces and Islamists.