Samar Yahya Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Manal Mostafa just cast her ballot at the Egyptian Consulate General here in a referendum on her country's first post-revolution constitution. Mostafa voted “Yes” even though she did not know what exactly was at stake because she had not read the draft. She said she solely relied on the opinion of her husband who is well read. The voting, which began on Wednesday, was originally staggered over four days and was supposed end at 8 p.m. Saturday. But Egypt's Foreign Ministry has informed its embassies and consulates that expatriate voting will be extended to 8 p.m. Monday. The decision to lengthen the window to vote was made by the Supreme Electoral Commission. Mostafa said she is aware of the polarization in Egyptian society over the charter and has read divergent viewpoints in newspapers. Hostility toward the Islamist agenda espoused by President Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood were the major reasons for the ruckus, rather than the text of the constitution itself. Mohammed Abdul Fattah has read the constitution thoroughly and even discussed its articles with friends before coming to vote. He said they discussed Article 201, which talks about organizational supervision a few moments before going to vote. “What is important is we practice democracy now; after four years we will have another presidential elections and everyone will have a role in choosing the president,” Abdul Fattah commented. Teacher Suzanne Hassan blames the mass media for creating division among Egyptians. “The media organizations that backed the old regime are spearheading the propaganda against President Morsi,” she said. Hassan said she voted for Abu Al-Fatoh in the first round of presidential elections since “he is a moderate, but I voted for Dr. Morsi in the run-off.” Hesham Samy, a university professor waiting in the queue to vote, said: “I'll say ‘No' as I disagree with many of the articles in the constitution, especially the one on Al-Azhar's role and the article that enables individuals to infringe upon other people's freedom.” Mayada Khaled was happy with the procedures of voting that went smoothly and efficiently over the past four days. She thought a “Yes” vote would be good for the country and its people. Dr. Mohammed Abdul Rahman agreed that voting procedures were smooth. He, however, will vote “No” because he thought the draft constitution gives too much power to the president and limits people's freedom. “I won't wait for the parliament to correct the anomalies in the constitution,” Dr. Abdul Rahman said. Houssam Taha, a sales manager at an IT company in Jeddah, was elated to see large numbers of Egyptians going to cast their ballots and said this was enough to convince him to give a “Yes” vote. “I want stability for the country. Whether it is the Islamists or any other civilian party, the main point is stability for Egypt. If everyone votes ‘No' and the constitution is rejected, it means 10 more months of chaos,” said Taha, adding: “I liked the provision for amendment of the constitution when one-fifth of parliament members demand such change,” Taha concluded.
