Despite calls to postpone the referendum on constitutional amendments, Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) announced on Sunday that Saturday, 19 March, will be an official holiday for all state institutions, universities and schools and that it will be the day on which the referendum on constitutional amendments will be held.
Earlier reports had indicated the possibility that SCAF would heed complaints against several articles and that it would postpone the referendum.
Mohamed ElBaradei and Amr Moussa, the main contenders for the upcoming presidential elections, urged against the proposed articles. Liberal and left-wing parties had called for canceling the referendum on the basis that it fails to recognize the legitimacy of the 25 January uprising and that it will give excessive powers to the next president.
The amendments have also been criticized for not being clear on measures for creating a new constitution.
The Muslim Brotherhood and the formerly-ruling National Democratic Party have been the most prominent groups supporting the constitutional changes in their current form.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
