CAIRO — An overwhelming majority of Egyptians who voted on the country’s new constitution backed the draft charter, a senior Egyptian official said Thursday, despite criticism from an international monitoring group of a clampdown on free speech.
The election official said that unofficial results after most of the ballots had been counted indicated that more than 90 percent voted “yes” on the constitution. He declined to give an estimate on the final turnout and spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to journalists.
The interim government is looking not only for a strong “yes” majority but also a large turnout to win undisputed legitimacy and perhaps a popular mandate for the military chief, Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, to run for president this year.
An incomplete estimate published by the state news agency MENA showed a turnout of about 40 percent in Cairo and in Egypt’s second largest city, Alexandria, both higher than in the 2012 referendum on the Islamist-backed constitution.
The Election Commission said results will be announced Saturday evening.
The vote held Tuesday and Wednesday was a milestone for Egypt’s interim government. Many considered the vote as key to restoring stability and supporting the current government in the face of continued opposition and protests from supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi.
But on Thursday, students rallied outside the campus of the University of Cairo and fought with security forces.
