Egypt’s referendum on the new constitution was approved by a staggering 98.1% of the voters. US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement: “It’s not one vote that determines a democracy, it's all the steps that follow.” He pointed to challenges and criticism outlined in the preliminary assessments of Democracy International and The Carter Center.
Around 20 million Egyptians voted in favor of the constitution, double the number of those casting the very same vote but for a different, more conservative constitution barely a year ago. More importantly, if this referendum is considered a legitimacy test for the post-Brotherhood era and a vote of confidence for the new military-sponsored road map, where are the 10 million voters who approved Mohammed Morsi’s constitution a year ago and supported the Muslim Brotherhood rule? Did they boycott the 2014 referendum?
