CAIRO — A referendum on a new constitution laid bare the sharp divisions in Egypt six months after the military removed the elected Islamist president, with pro-army voters lining up Tuesday outside polling stations, singing patriotic songs, kissing images of Egypt’s top officer and sharing upbeat hopes for their troubled nation.
Sporadic violence flared across much of the country, leaving 11 dead, with protesters burning tires and pelting police with rocks and firebombs, creating just enough tension to keep many voters at home.
Still, the first of two days of voting yielded telling signs that the national sentiment was overwhelmingly behind military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, whose possible presidential run later this year has grown more likely by the day. That a career army officer might be Egypt’s next president has raised questions about the future of democracy in Egypt, but it also speaks to the fatigue felt by most Egyptians after three years of deadly turmoil and economic woes.
This week’s balloting is a key milestone in a military-backed political road map toward new elections for a president and a parliament after the July 3 coup that left the nation sharply divided between Brotherhood supporters in one camp. and the military and security forces in another. The latter is backed by a large segment of the population that is yearning for stability after three years of turmoil.
