Egypt’s opposition is calling for mass protests today over alleged polling violations after Islamists backing President Mohammed Mursi claimed victory in the first round of a referendum on a new charter.
The opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, urged Egyptians to “take to the streets to defend their freedoms, prevent fraud and reject the draft constitution” ahead of the next round of voting on Saturday.
It claimed “irregularities and violations” marred the initial stage of the referendum across half of Egypt that Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood said yielded a 57 per cent “yes” vote, according to its unofficial tally.
The official count will be announced only after the other half of the country goes to the polls in the second round.
Mohamed ElBaradei, the Front’s co-ordinator and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, renewed his call for Mursi to cancel the referendum and enter talks with the opposition.
“Last chance: cancel the ill-reputed referendum and begin a dialogue to close the rift, and [appoint] a capable government that can administer, and bring back the state of law,” he wrote on Twitter.