Egypt braces for rallies ahead of referendum day

PanARMENIAN.Net - Egyptian opposition groups are holding last-ditch protests against a referendum on a draft constitution, due to start on Saturday, Dec 16, according to BBC News.

At least two anti-constitution rallies are to take place in Cairo after Friday's main weekly Muslim prayers.

Critics say the draft document, backed by President Mohammed Mursi and his supporters, is too Islamist.

Pro-Morsi groups are lining main roads in Cairo, holding placards that say "Yes to the constitution". They have also published online videos with a campaign song that says "This constitution is not too bad, it was written by a committee of heroes."

The opposition National Salvation Front has urged a "No" vote but so far stopped short of calling for a boycott.

The controversy has sparked bloody clashes across Egypt between President Mursi's supporters and opposition activists.

Security is tight, with tens of thousands of police and troops deployed to keep order.

President Mursi has also given the army the power to arrest civilians, raising fears that Egypt is moving back towards military rule.

A new Egyptian constitution is seen as a major milestone following the revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak in 2011. But a vote on the draft has sharpened the polarization between liberal groups and the powerful Muslim Brotherhood that backs Mursi.

The president himself has also been at loggerheads with the judiciary.

Polls will open at 08:00 (06:00 GMT) on Saturday in Cairo, Alexandria and eight other provinces. The other half of the country will vote a week later.