President Mohammed Morsi [5] signed Egypt's new constitution (PDF [6]) into law late Dec. 25, which was supported by over 63% of those who voted in the referendum. However, only 32.9% of Egypt's total of 52 million voters actually participated in the referendum, leading many to debate its results. Egyptian press and commentators are divided over the approval [7] of the new constitution, with some declaring the results to be "fake" [8], and supporters from the Muslim Brotherhood claiming it to be the valid choice of the people. Immediately after the referendum, a coalition of Egyptian rights group called for a redo of the referendum, alleging widespread irregularities.
The final draft of the constitution is backed by the Islamists and has been extremely controversial. The UN Working Group on discrimination against women [9] has expressed grave concern [10] over the draft constitution. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [11] has also expressed concern at the rising death toll during the ongoing political chaos in Egypt, saying that Egypt's draft constitution presents serious problems for human rights [12]. Pillay complained [13] that the draft constitution was passed without the participation of Christian or liberal legislators. Pillay also said that she was concerned about the draft constitution's omission of references to international human rights treaties that Egypt ratified in the past. While Pillay commended the fact that the draft constitution imposes term limits on President Mohammed Morsi and provides some protections for freedom of expression and religion, she noted that these protections were not strong enough.
From Jurist [14], Dec. 5. Used with permission.
