Child found stamping ballots in Behira

Former presidential candidate and member in the National Salvation Front (NSF) Hamdin Sabbahi has said the opposition bloc “respects the result the ballot box brings, whatever it may be.” Criticising the fact that the draft constitution put to the referendum did not hold a national consensus, the politician said a result of 51 percent for the draft charter would show a lack of popular support. A constitution, Sabbahi said, should be subject to consensus by all citizens and there should be no disputes over its articles. He added that President Morsi had promised that he would not put the draft constitution to a referendum before popular consensus was reached. In remarks made while he cast his ballot, Sabbahi announced the NSF’s intention to take part in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The bloc, he added, will demand legal safeguards guaranteeing fairness and that no one group or ideology is able to dominate the seats, as in the last elections. The deputy chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party, Essam El-Erian, described the queues outside polling stations as “civilised” adding that the phenomenon is “a slap in the face to all those who insulted Egyptians’ dignity and claimed they were incapable of democratic practices.” In a post on his official Facebook page, the FJP official lauded the unity and “optimism” of voters in his queue with whom he said he shared “jokes” and discussed current affairs as they waited for two hours to vote, with “no Egyptian asking his brother if he is voting Yes or No” and “respecting the right to disagree.” He concluded: “Congratulations to Egypt, whatever the result. Together, we will build our country.” Popular Current observers reported over 10 violations in the early hours of the poll, the most serious of which took place at the Al-Ahd El-Gedid school in Shebeen El-Anater where non-Muslim Brotherhood observers were barred from entering the polling station.  In substation 58 at Maskan Kafr Tuhurmoss, Giza the judge overseeing the voting process refused to present a judicial or personal ID card, angering voters who asked to file an official complaint. At substation 39 at the Coed Prep School in Sheblenga, Qaliobeia a polling official was in charge of the ballot book. When asked about the infraction, the judge said “It’s up to me” and threatened to strip the observer of his permit. At the same school, Christian voters were prevented from casting their ballots and were told their names were not registered. When they threatened to report the incident, the judge backed down and their names were found in the lists. In the village of Blemshet in the Menouf district, the el-Massaei Azhari Schools Complex put six substations together in one room, leading to serious overcrowding. According to the report, the Muslim Brotherhood handed out cash accompanied with literature urging a “Yes” vote at the headquarters of an orphan-sponsorship centre in Farscour district. At substation 13 an incident of mass-voting was logged and the overseeing official refused to provide documentation proving his identity.  Reports stated that Muslim Brotherhood violations began early, as a Muslim Brotherhood supporter was seen carrying a “Yes” sign outside the Ashtoum El-Gameel school. His presence was reported to the emergency services who notified the sheriff. The report also revealed that a number of women wearing niqabs were attempting to influence voters at numerous stations in the El-Dawahi district. Meanwhile, at the El-Qanah Prep for Boys, the overseeing judge inspected ballots before slipping them into the box. In an unprecedented incident, Strong Egypt Party activists discovered a child stamping referendum ballots in the presence of the polling station supervisor. The incident took place at substations 32 and 33, at the Industrial Secondary School, Behira. The Ana Masri human rights organisation reported wide-spread campaigning in addition to attempts to instruct voters by some Islamists. The organisation also reported that human rights activists were prevented from entering polling stations despite possessing permits provided by the National Council for Human Rights.