Mursi willing to postpone ballot if no legal fall-out: Mahmud Mekki

Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi “could accept to delay the referendum” on a draft constitution disputed by the opposition, if there are no legal consequences to such a decision, Vice-President Mahmud Mekki told AFP on Friday.

Mursi would consider postponing the plebiscite on the contested charter if the opposition guaranteed not to challenge the move on the grounds that referendums legally have to be held two weeks after being formally presented to the president, Mekki said.

Currently, the referendum is scheduled to take place on December 15.

Mekki also told AFP that Egypt’s election committee “agreed to a demand from the foreign minister more than two days ago that the start of expatriate voting for Egyptians be postponed from Saturday until Wednesday.”

“The foreign minister was trying to get the expatriate voting postponed to ensure a sound ballot (process),” he added.

Mass protests this week over the referendum, and over sweeping powers Mursi decreed himself last month, turned bloody on Wednesday when pro- and anti-Mursi protesters clashed in Cairo, killing seven people and wounding hundreds.

Mursi on Thursday defiantly addressed the nation by saying he was going ahead with the referendum as scheduled, stating that afterwards “everyone must follow its will.”

But more than 10,000 protesters gathered around his presidential palace late on Friday for another demonstration, pushing back soldiers protecting the compound and calling for Mursi to step down.

The scenes recalled those of February 2011 when a popular uprising led to the ouster of Mursi’s predecessor, strongman Hosni Mubarak.