Democracy

Egypt Votes on Constitutional Reforms in Record Numbers

On proposed constitutional reforms.

Egyptians got their first unrigged elections in a generation on Saturday, and they turned out in record numbers. Officials say at least double the usual number of voters came out to vote on constitutional reforms. The reforms were drafted by a judicial committee appointed by the interim military government, and they're seen as a key step in the transition to parliamentary elections. One of the reforms limits the time a president can hold office to two four-year terms. But Egyptians are divided on the referendum. The Muslim Brotherhood came out in favor of them, but some secular groups say they don't go far enough. Others worry that they do too much, and that a fast transition to democracy will play into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood and the remnants of Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party, the best organized political groups in a country where opposition parties had been hobbled for years.