Karim Adel - Cairo
Celebrations and rallies in the committees of workers outside their provinces and documenting the vote "no" .. Thus began the first day of the referendum on amendments to the Egyptian constitution amid weak participation.
In Cairo, citizens of the al-Marg area celebrated the national and popular songs before participating in the referendum.
In the Gamaliya area, another number of citizens, after participating in the referendum, raised the flag of Egypt and the banner of victory, chanting a number of national songs.
In the busy Nasr City suburb of military barracks, a group of participants in the referendum - especially in front of the committees of the Workers' University - used the local mizmar to encourage participation.
And received a team Baltbal municipal and flute and dance skirt participants before a committee of the people of the people of Nakhl since the early hours of the referendum.
The popular district of Bulaq al-Dakrour did not differ from the prestigious neighborhood of Zamalek, where the new national songs dominated the scene in front of the electoral commissions.
The popular singer Hakim streets of the suburb of engineers in Giza independent bus is covered with echoing song "You get off, Abu Rajoula" and a number of songs that are famous for attracting citizens.
| Large crowd of workers to vote in the referendum (social networking sites) |
Emigrants Password
The attention was clear in the committees of arrivals, which was revealed by Al Jazeera Net in a report two days ago, citing sources that confirmed that the committees of expatriates password in the crowd to pass the referendum.
The National Election Commission (NEC) announced on Saturday the allocation of three electoral committees to the administrative workers and engineers of the capital, and state-owned media outlets highlighted the labor presence as "mobilization without compulsion."
The Workers' Union Operations Room also received "thousands of expatriates to guide them to the places of the referendum," according to the national newspaper Al Ahram.
The Chamber said that "thousands of expatriate workers in Greater Cairo have voluntarily come to the headquarters of the Union Street evacuation and were directed to the referendum committees close to the Workers' Union."
Local media reported the arrival of a large number of expatriates on committees of expatriates in a number of governorates, most notably Matrouh, Assiut, South Sinai, Alexandria and New Valley.
| Voters using the local flute to urge participation in the referendum (social networking sites) |
Parades despite the ban
Despite the ban on marches or demonstrations, supporters of constitutional amendments staged marches with the participation of senior officials.
The governor of West Hisham al-Said participated in a march that marched through the streets of the city of Mahalla to urge citizens to participate in the referendum.
The governor of Kafr El-Sheikh has also offered a march to students in the governorate to invite citizens to participate. A number of imams and preachers in the governorate also organized a supportive march with the participation of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Awqaf in the province.
Supporters of the amendments in the city of Nabarouh in Dakahlia governorate marched in the presence of the mayor of the city - a former brigade - and a member of the House of Representatives.
The Ministry of the Interior did not announce the issuance of permits for these marches, but rejected an opposition march on 28 March last called for the parties of the civil democratic movement to organize before the House of Representatives to reject the amendments.
"No" is present
On the other hand, opponents of the constitutional amendments were keen to occupy part of the picture by showing rejection and voting "no".
A large number of activists and opposition figures chanted pictures of their participation by voting by rejecting the amendments.
Former Egyptian Press Syndicate Undersecretary Khaled al-Balashi published a picture of his participation on Saturday as "no", stressing that it is the way to face the false amendments according to his description.
A field study conducted by the Egyptian Center for Media Studies and Public Opinion showed a decrease in the participation rate expected in the referendum to 4.8% of the total number of eligible voters.