Egypt’s Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC), headed by Judge Samir Abou El-Maati, has ordered that a LE500 fine be imposed on anyone who abstains from participating in the upcoming constitutional referendum slated for Saturday, 15 December.
While the SEC has always called for the implementation of such fines, they were never applied in practice.
Egypt’s post-revolution draft constitution will be put before a nationwide referendum on 15 December, while protests demanding that the vote be delayed have continued for at least two weeks.
Islamist political parties and groups have called on the public to vote ‘yes’ to the draft national charter.
Most opposition groups, meanwhile, have yet to decide whether they would vote against the proposed constitution or boycott the vote, with the exception of Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh’s ‘Strong Egypt’ party, which is calling on members to reject the draft charter.