Almost 83 percent of voters approved a key amendment to the constitution that will allow Egypt's first contested presidential elections, Interior Minister Habib Al-Adli said yesterday, announcing the result of a referendum held Wednesday on the issue. He said the results of the vote counting in 329 main polling stations across the country showed that 82.8 percent of the Egyptians who voted said yes to the amendment. The turnout was 53 percent of the 32.5 million registered voters, the minister added.The new amendment stipulates that a candidate has the backing of 250 elected members of the lower and upper houses of Parliament and city councils, all of which are dominated by the National Democratic Party (NDP) headed by President Hosni Mubarak. Under the constitution, the amendment needs at least 51 percent of "yes" votes to get an endorsement. The Cabinet will draft an election law regulating the election process next Sunday. "The results we have today are unprecedented in the history of Egypt," said Habib. "If you look at any of the previous presidential referendums you will see that this year's turnout was higher, which is politically healthy," Habib told reporters.
| Correct me if I have this wrong, but Saddam managed 100% participation, didn't he? |