22 March 2011 / AP, CAIRO
Egyptian voters overwhelmingly approved changes in the constitution, opening the way for parliamentary and presidential elections within months, according to final results from a landmark referendum announced.
Opponents fear the swift timetable could boost the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood and members of the former ruling party. The Brotherhood had campaigned heavily for a “yes” vote in the referendum. Critics say that since it and the former ruling party are the best organized political forces in the country, they stand to gain the most in an early election -- which will bring in Egypt’s first democratically elected government to replace the regime of ousted President Hosni Mubarak. The results are likely to open a frenzied campaign season, with liberal pro-democracy forces scrambling to put together political parties to contest the upcoming races. Shady Ghazali, one of the organizers of the protests that forced Mubarak out after 18 days, said the youth coalition that led the demonstrations is discussing putting forward a national list of candidates for the parliamentary elections under its name.
