AP: Egypt Chronology (Contribution)

Egyptians take step toward fall presidential election with key referendum

Associated Press

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) _ Egyptians, urged by their president to turn outin force and by his opponents to boycott, decided Wednesday on constitutional changes that would clear the way for the nation's first multi-candidate presidential elections.
Extra security and anti-riot police vehicles were out on capital
president and cast their ballots. Authorities warned ingovernment-guided media that demonstrations _ a few oppositionprotests were planned _ would not be tolerated. Opponents of the referendum were hard to find in the early hours ofpolling, but it wasn't clear whether their absence was due to boycott calls or disinterest in voting for a measure sure to pass.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak called for multi-candidate presidential elections as international and domestic demands for political reform have grown. But his critics consider the changes mere window dressing, saying the rules being laid down ensure any serious challengers to Mubarak will be ineligible and that his ruling National Democratic Party won't lose its grip on power.
Supporters, many citing loyalty to Mubarak and far fewer clear on what exactly they were agreeing to, were turning out individually andby bus loads to vote.
"Of course I would say yes, because the president doesn't sleep all night because he is serving us. He looks after our interests," said Saaban Mohammed Ahmed, a 42-year-old shopkeeper among about 15 people waiting for a downtown polling station to open.
One woman, a 22-year-old who would only identify herself as "a daughter of Egypt" wasn't sure what she was waiting to go inside to vote on, but said "I want to say 'yes' to Mubarak" _ picking up the slogan used by Mubarak supporters in street banners to push the referendum.
She left before the station finally opened.
At another downtown polling station, in al-Ataba, about 300 government employees were seen lining up to vote; buses were parking close with more government employees. About 350 state-run television employees rallied outside their Nile-side office building, waving Egyptian flags and carrying banners urging participation before marching to a nearby polling station to vote.
Egyptian television aired live pictures of Mubarak, his wife, hissons Alaa and Gamal, and several ministers heading into a suburban polling station near the presidential palace to cast his ballot. Stepping out from behind the blue curtains, the president dropped hisvote inside the ballot box.
Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, after casting his ballot, said"All Egypt will say Yes."
Hussein Farid, a marketing executive in 10th of Ramadan City, a newer desert community just outside Cairo, has no illusions passage will create a perfect system. Still, he said he will vote for the changes even though he opposes the restrictions they would place on potential challengers.
"If I say no to change, then there will be no change," said Farid,28. "If people say no this time, then the chance will be missed."
One Cairo voter, Sayyed Ahmed Abdel Osoul, a 58-year-old plumber, voiced a sentiment heard from many Egyptians these days _ he will support the referendum and Mubarak because "the one we know is betterthan the ones we don't know."
Mubarak has led Egypt since soon after President Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981, reinstalled every six years in the yes-no, single-candidate referendums he is asking the constitution to end. Mubarak hasn't formally announced he will run again but is widely expected to do so.
Egypt's opposition leaders are known in certain circles, but with the exception of the popular Muslim Brotherhood, are relatively unknown tomost Egyptians. The Brotherhood, the country's oldest and largest Islamic movement, is believed to have hundreds of thousands of supporters nationwide.
In the days leading up to the vote, opposition parties including the Brotherhood pressed the public to boycott the referendum.
The amended article would replace references to presidential referendums with references to elections and stipulate some rules. Most controversially, it requires independent candidates to get 250 recommendations from elected members of parliament and local councils_ which all are dominated by Mubarak's National Democratic Party _before being allowed to enter the race.
Egypt's main opposition newspapers urged a boycott on their frontpages, with the liberal al-Wafd running a black front that said inbold, white type, "The day of Mourning: Boycott the referendum..."Al-Ghad, or "Tomorrow" reform party's newspaper called the referenduma "fraud."
Government-leaning newspapers, by contrast, played up Mubarak's referendum-eve speech to the nation calling on Egyptians to cast theirballots.
Cairo's governor granted free public transport Wednesday forEgyptians who presented their voter registration card. Many governmentand private-sector employees received time off to go vote.
The measure needs support from at least 51 percent of voters to pass. If it passes as expected, an election law would need to be craftedlaying out specific rules and guidelines for the September election.
The Interior Ministry has said about 32.5 million registered citizenswere expected to vote and final results were expected Thursday. Egypt's semiofficial Middle East News Agency said preliminary resultsmay be available later Wednesday.
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Associated Press reporters Pakinam Amer, Sarah El Deeb and Maggie Michael contributed to this report.