20110318
reuters

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptians vote on Saturday in a referendum on constitutional changes designed to allow free and fair elections but have splintered the reform movement that toppled Hosni Mubarak from the presidency.

The vote has divided Egypt between those who say much deeper constitutional change is needed and others who argue that the amendments will suffice for now. A high turnout is expected.

The Muslim Brotherhood, a well organised Islamist group, has come out in favour of the amendments, setting it at odds with secular groups and prominent reform advocates including Mohamed ElBaradei and Amr Moussa, both candidates for the presidency.

The military council to which Mubarak handed power on February 11 is hoping the amendments will pass so it can move along the path it has set towards parliamentary and presidential elections that will allow it to cede power to an elected government.

"This will be a watershed vote," said Ahmed Saleh, an activist now coordinating ElBaradei's presidential campaign. "People's appetite for voting is high now and change is in the air".

The military council tasked a judicial committee with drafting the amendments which include a two-term limit on the presidency, restricting to eight years the time a leader can serve in the office Mubarak held for three decades.

Rejection of the amendments will force the council to rethink its strategy and prolong an interim period which it wants to keep as short as possible.

But the reforms fall far short of the demands of reformists who want the constitution completely rewritten. Youth groups who organised the protests against Mubarak said the amendments were an attempt to "abort the revolution".