Egypt S New Constitution

Ajit, an electrician, is just seven months into his new job but right now he is a worried man, like many other members of the huge migrant workforce in Qatar.

Egyptian voters have approved a new constitution by 98.1 percent, the elections chief said on Saturday, in what the government declared a popular endorsement of the army's overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Voters overwhelmingly supported Egypt's military-backed constitution in a two-day election, with 98.1 percent supporting it in the first vote since a coup toppled the country's president, the election commission said Saturday.

Egypt's new constitution is still in the drafting stage but has already disappointed rights groups and activists who had hoped it would curb the military's wide-ranging powers and privileges.

Religious parties in Egypt like that of ousted President Mohamed Morsi's party may face dissolution while the ban on deposed dictator Hosni Mubarak's party could be revoked under a proposed new constitution that seeks to overhaul the country's political system.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood called for a wave of protests on Friday, furious over the military's ouster of its president and arrest of its revered leader and other top figures, underlining the touchy issue of what role the fundamentalist Islamist movement might play in the new regime.

President Mohamed Morsi is to address Egypt on Wednesday, after signing into law a contentious constitution he and Islamist allies backed to the fury of the opposition and to international concern.

The United States on Tuesday urged all sides in Egypt to increase political engagement after Egyptian officials announced that voters had overwhelmingly approved a new constitution drafted by President Mohamed Mursi's Islamist allies.

Egypt's electoral commission confirmed on Tuesday that a controversial, Islamist-backed constitution was passed by 64 percent of voters, rejecting opposition allegations of polling fraud.

Supporters of President Mohamed Morsi and his opponents hurled rocks at each other in Egypt's second city on the eve of a final vote on a new constitution shaped by Islamists.

Nine people were hurt when unknown attackers fired at protesters camping at Tahrir Square in central Cairo on Tuesday, according to witnesses and Egyptian media, as opponents and supporters of President Mohamed Mursi's plans to vote on a new constitution geared up for a day of street demonstrations.

An Islamist-led assembly raced through approval of a new constitution for Egypt on Friday to end a crisis over President Mohamed Morsi's expanded powers, but the opposition said it was an escalation that would only spur more protests.

The body writing Egypt's new constitution will start voting on a final draft on Thursday, a move President Mohamed Morsi's allies in the Muslim Brotherhood hope will help end a crisis prompted by a decree expanding his powers.

A divisive panel boycotted by liberals and Christians was set on Thursday to vote on a draft new Egyptian constitution, amid mounting protests over President Mohamed Morsi's assumption of sweeping powers.

Egypt's most prestigious court has lashed out at an Islamist-led panel tasked with writing the country's new constitution, saying proposed provisions undercut its mandate and keep it under the president's power.

Ajit, an electrician, is just seven months into his new job but right now he is a worried man, like many other members of the huge migrant workforce in Qatar.

Egyptian voters have approved a new constitution by 98.1 percent, the elections chief said on Saturday, in what the government declared a popular endorsement of the army's overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Voters overwhelmingly supported Egypt's military-backed constitution in a two-day election, with 98.1 percent supporting it in the first vote since a coup toppled the country's president, the election commission said Saturday.

Egypt's new constitution is still in the drafting stage but has already disappointed rights groups and activists who had hoped it would curb the military's wide-ranging powers and privileges.

Religious parties in Egypt like that of ousted President Mohamed Morsi's party may face dissolution while the ban on deposed dictator Hosni Mubarak's party could be revoked under a proposed new constitution that seeks to overhaul the country's political system.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood called for a wave of protests on Friday, furious over the military's ouster of its president and arrest of its revered leader and other top figures, underlining the touchy issue of what role the fundamentalist Islamist movement might play in the new regime.

President Mohamed Morsi is to address Egypt on Wednesday, after signing into law a contentious constitution he and Islamist allies backed to the fury of the opposition and to international concern.

The United States on Tuesday urged all sides in Egypt to increase political engagement after Egyptian officials announced that voters had overwhelmingly approved a new constitution drafted by President Mohamed Mursi's Islamist allies.

Egypt's electoral commission confirmed on Tuesday that a controversial, Islamist-backed constitution was passed by 64 percent of voters, rejecting opposition allegations of polling fraud.

Supporters of President Mohamed Morsi and his opponents hurled rocks at each other in Egypt's second city on the eve of a final vote on a new constitution shaped by Islamists.

Nine people were hurt when unknown attackers fired at protesters camping at Tahrir Square in central Cairo on Tuesday, according to witnesses and Egyptian media, as opponents and supporters of President Mohamed Mursi's plans to vote on a new constitution geared up for a day of street demonstrations.

An Islamist-led assembly raced through approval of a new constitution for Egypt on Friday to end a crisis over President Mohamed Morsi's expanded powers, but the opposition said it was an escalation that would only spur more protests.

The body writing Egypt's new constitution will start voting on a final draft on Thursday, a move President Mohamed Morsi's allies in the Muslim Brotherhood hope will help end a crisis prompted by a decree expanding his powers.

A divisive panel boycotted by liberals and Christians was set on Thursday to vote on a draft new Egyptian constitution, amid mounting protests over President Mohamed Morsi's assumption of sweeping powers.

Egypt's most prestigious court has lashed out at an Islamist-led panel tasked with writing the country's new constitution, saying proposed provisions undercut its mandate and keep it under the president's power.