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Mati Maravanyika,

Editor (Africa)

 

EGYPT – Egypt’s new constitution has been put into effect through the signing of a decree by President of Egypt, Mohamed Morsy, on Wednesday the 19th of December.

President Mohamed Morsy signed the decree after the referendum (largely Islamist-backed) was approved by Egyptians, according to an official. More than 10 million voted for the constitution, while more than 6 million voted against, according to the head of the High Election Commision, Samr Abou El Matty. The first round of voting took place on the 15th of December while the second round took place on the 22nd of December, where Morsy received the most support as people from 17 provinces voted.

The referendum was not welcomed by everyone; some felt that it had been approved rather too quickly and minority groups in opposition to Morsy including Liberals and Christians felt that their voices were not taken into consideration or included.

Critics of the referendum have also said that because the language used in the constitution is vague, the rights of Egyptians will not be upheld and this will lead to the same policies of former President Hosni Mubarak. Similarly, Human Rights Watch believes that it “protects some rights but undermines others,” because it does not protect freedom of religion.

Before the passing of the constitution, judges threatened to close down the assembly in charge of drafting the constitution which led Morsy’s decision to fire the judiciary members mainly loyal to Mubarak. Morsy’s opposition viewed this as a sign of dictatorship and as a sign of Morsy’s greed for power, which led to mass protests, violence and deaths. In response, Morsy dropped his decree, but the situation remained tense. Violence raged, producing incidents that have raised the ire of international human rights groups, though these were not systematic, as was the case under the former government. According to acting deputy spokesman, Patrick Ventrell, who said that it was up to Morsy and his government to maintain peace and stability in the nation and “bridge divisions, build trust and broaden support for the political process.”

Peace and stability is important in Egypt as it serves as model for both North Africa and the Middle East, where violence is escalating, notably in Syria in the Middle East and Sudan in North Africa. If the violence in Egypt continues, violence in North Africa and the Middle East will also continue therefore, unity must be maintained in the nation for other countries to follow.