98.1% of Egypt voters approve revised constitution

CAIRO

Around 98.1 percent of voters who turned out in a two-day referendum on an amended version of Egypt's 2012 constitution approved the revised charter, the election commission announced Saturday.

In a press conference, the commission said that a total of 20.6 million voters took part in the referendum, making up around 38.6 percent of the country's 53.423,458 eligible voters.

"This is the highest voter turnout in a referendum inEgypt's history," commission chief, Justice Nabil Salib, said.

He added that some 19,985,389 people voted "yes" for the revised charter, while only 381,341 voted "No".

The constitutional referendum was the first step in an army-imposed roadmap for Egypt's political transition following the ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi.

The plan also envisages fresh parliamentary and presidential election.

The constitutional vote has been a divisive issue inEgypt, which has been in a state of turmoil since Morsi's overthrow.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the movement from which Morsi hails, has boycotted the vote.

The 2012 constitution, which was drafted during Morsi's single year in power, was approved by 10.6 million Egyptians, while 6.06 million voted against. Nearly 32.9 percent of voters had turned out in the vote.

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