Egyptian voters overwhelmingly backed a new constitution that paves the way for the army chief to run for president, early results showed Thursday, but turnout figures will provide a key measure of his popularity.
Initial tallies reported by state media gave 90 percent support for the new charter, which the military-installed authorities say provides greater protection for freedom of speech and women's rights.
The result of the referendum was always a foregone conclusion with the Muslim Brotherhood calling for a boycott and little sign of a no campaign in the run-up to the vote.
Officials have said that army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who toppled Islamist president Mohammed Mursi in July, will closely monitor turnout as he mulls going for the top job himself in an election promised for later this year.Sisi has said he is prepared to run if there is enough popular support and the two-day referendum that wrapped up on Wednesday provides the first concrete test.
The military's spokesman thanked the "masses" of voters for taking part in what he called the "heroic battle of the referendum."
On Tuesday, sporadic clashes between Mursi supporters and their opponents and police left at least nine people dead, but no fatal incidents were reported on Wednesday.
At least 444 people were arrested for protesting and disrupting polling over the two-day vote, the interior ministry said.
The government said it was aiming for a larger turnout than the 33 percent of the country's 53 million registered voters who cast a ballot in a constitutional referendum under Mursi in 2012, with 64 percent voting yes.
"We are hoping it exceeds 50 percent," government spokesman Hany Salah told AFP.
The new text has done away with much of the Islamist-inspired wording of Mursi's charter. It bolsters the military's powers and allows it to try civilians for attacks on the armed forces.
(AFP)