Egypt's final stage of constitutional referendum ends

The second and final stage of an Egyptian constitution referendum ended Saturday night at 11:00 p.m. local time (2100 GMT). The voters who had entered the polling stations before closing are allowed to vote after the time limit, state TV reported. Due to the high turnout, the closing time of the referendum was extended earlier Saturday from 7:00 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) to 11:00 p.m. (2100 GMT). About 25.5 million eligible voters were scheduled to vote in the final round of constitutional referendum in 17 governorates. Unofficial results showed that 56.5 percent of 26 million citizens in 10 governorates voted for the draft constitution in the first round last Saturday. Counselor Samir Ahmed Aboul-Maaty, head of the supreme commission supervising the referendum, said the final official results would be announced Monday. Egyptians are divided over the draft constitution, which is supported mostly by Islamists and conservatives, but rejected by liberals, leftists and Copts.