Al-Ahram Newspaper:

A day after Monday's referendum on the amendments to 34 constitutional articles, proposed in December by President Hosni Mubarak, government officials announced that of those who had gone to the polls 75.9 per cent had voted for the changes.

In a televised speech Minister of Justice Mamdouh Marie said that out of Egypt's 35 million registered voters, seven million, or 27.1 per cent, had actually turned out.

Reactions to Marie's announcement were mixed. Before leaving for Saudi Arabia to take part in the two-day Arab summit, President Hosni Mubarak said "the Egyptian people were the real winner because the referendum means more democracy and reform."

Mubarak vowed that the vote would open the doors for further amendments and legislative reforms.

Immediately after the count leaders of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) met to evaluate the party's performance. NDP Secretary-General Safwat El-Sherif insisted the day represented "a major victory for the party," arguing that "the high turnout clearly shows the opposition's call for a boycott had foundered". Voting, he said, was "marked by transparency and integrity".

Ahmed Ezz, the NDP's secretary for organisational affairs, claimed the NDP's get-out-and-vote campaign had been successful in persuading many people to vote for the changes, saying "the figures clearly show the NDP's campaign in favour of the amendments had born fruit."

Marie's figures, however, were immediately questioned by the opposition and civil society organisations.

Mahmoud Abaza, leader of Al-Wafd, said the referendum vote had been manipulated by the NDP and security forces. "Irregularities in the vote were rife, a result of it being conducted without full judicial supervision. The 26 March referendum is likely to go down in history as one of Egypt's most notorious."

Abaza, whose party led a campaign against the amendments, said "the 34 constitutional amendments continue to lack popular legitimacy."

Al-Ahram