Amidst bombing, Egyptians vote for new constitution

Egyptians began voting on a new constitution Tuesday amid high security, as a bomb exploded outside a Cairo court, underscoring lingering polarisation after the army overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

The military-installed government has implored voters to turn out en masse to ratify the constitution in the two-day referendum, hoping to bolster its disputed authority after Morsi’s ouster.

An Islamist coalition led by Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood has called for a boycott and “civilised peaceful protests” during the polling, and the interior ministry has pledged to confront attempts to disrupt voting.

The small, improvised bomb exploded less than two hours before polls opened, causing little damage and no injuries, a police general said.

But it again highlighted the government’s precarious grip on the most populous Arab country, still reeling from Morsi’s ouster and a bloody crackdown on his Islamist supporters.

The police and army have deployed hundreds of thousands of police and soldiers to guard polling stations amid fears that a spate in militant attacks and protests would keep voters at home.

At one polling station for women at a school, dozens lined up to cast their ballots, some waving Egyptian flags and chanting pro-military slogans.

While it is uncertain how many Egyptians will vote amid concern over violence, the constitution appears certain to pass.

The charter has done away with much of the Islamist-inspired wording of Morsi’s constitution, which was suspended on his overthrow, and its supporters say it expands women’s rights and freedom of speech.

But it has bolstered the military’s powers, granting the army the right to appoint the defence minister for the next eight years and to try civilians for attacks on the armed forces.

Interim president Adly Mansour urged Egyptians to turn out at the polls.

“I call on you to live up to the responsibility you owe to your nation and to ensure a better future for this country to go to your polling station and vote,” he said in a speech on Sunday.

The runup to the vote has been marred by a deadly crackdown on Morsi’s supporters, and arrests of activists who campaigned for a “no” vote.