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| President of Egypt signs a decree enforcing the charter after the official announcement of a referendum approving basics law, Egypt's first constitutions after Mubarak's overthrow[Photo: Mohamed Morsi's official Facebook page] |
Cairo: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Wednesday signed into
law a new Islamist-drafted constitution following a public referendum in which
less than one-third of eligible voters cast ballots.
Morsi said the adopted constitution would help to end
political turmoil and allow him to focus on fixing the fragile economy.
Yasser Ali, presidential office spokesperson, confirms that
Morsi signed the executive order hours after the Supreme Electoral Commission
announced the draft charter had been endorsed by 63.8 of voters in this month's
referendum.
Though, the official turnout among Egypt’s 52 million
registered voters was just under 33 percent but officials said they found no
electoral violations during the two-stage vote serious enough to change the
final result.
Supporters of the charter -- including President Mohamed
Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood -- say the constitution should lead to
stability and economic revival.
With the document approved, the stage is set for lower-house
parliamentary elections in around two months.
Pro-reform opposition supporters continue to reject the
constitution, saying it falls short of guaranteeing universal rights and
protections for women and minorities, and could lead to Islamist interference
in lawmaking.
The opposition has questioned the legitimacy of the
constitution because of the paltry turnout.
The United States, which provides billions of dollars of
annual military and other aid to Egypt, has reacted to the result by calling on
President Morsi to “bridge divisions” among Egyptians.
The State Department said in a written statement that “the
future of Egypt’s democracy depends on forging a broader consensus behind its
new democratic rules and institutions.”
The statement added that Washington has “stood with
Egyptians as they have engaged in the difficult work of democratic transition”
since Washington’s former ally Hosni Mubarak was ousted as Egyptian ruler in
February 2011.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton
took note of both the strong majority backing the constitution, as well as the
low turnout.
In a written statement, Ashton also urged President Morsi to
intensify efforts for a dialogue with pro-reform supporters opposed to the
constitution.
The turmoil of the past two years in Egypt has severely
damaged the country’s economy, with foreign direct business investment, tourism
and foreign currency reserves all declining sharply.
Notably, Egypt's new constitution has been drafted by a
Constituent Assembly whose non-Islamist members, including church
representatives, liberals, leftists and others, dropped out of in protest
against what was frequently described as "Islamist domination."