The opposition says the 25 May referendum on amending Article 76 of the constitution must be boycotted, reports Gamal Essam El-Din The amendment of Article 76 of the constitution, approved by the People's Assembly on 10 May, now faces a public referendum. The date of the referendum, 25 May, was set by the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) Secretariat-General two days after the People's Assembly gave its approval to the amendment. "On 25 May it is the responsibility of every citizen to vote," said NDP Secretary-General Safwat El- Sherif. The amendment, if approved, will allow Egyptians to choose their ruler for the first time in history. Assistant Interior Minister Mahrous Shabayek says there are 32.5 million registered voters who will cast their ballots at 329 principal, and 54,429 auxiliary, polling stations. Principal polling stations will be placed under full judicial supervision while auxiliary ones will be monitored by civil servants. The latter are expected to receive no more than 600 voters each. The ballot form, Shabayek revealed, requires voters to fill in one of two spaces: yes or no to the proposed amendment of Article 76. There are no arrangements to allow the estimated six million Egyptians living abroad to vote. From 23 May, said El-Sherif, the NDP will organise "a series of public rallies at governorate and district levels to encourage citizens to vote on 25 May". Meanwhile NDP officials at governorate and district levels have been provided with a paper, The NDP's view on the Amendment of Article 76 of the Constitution, said Gamal Mubarak, the 42-year-old son of the president and chairman of the influential NDP Policies Secretariat. "The paper," said Mubarak, "emphasises that the amendment provides Egypt with its first opportunity to hold multi-candidate presidential elections". The amendment of Article 76 is expected to be accompanied by a raft of complementary legislation tackling, among other things, the regulation of presidential elections, the formation of new parties, the staging of parliamentary elections, the exercise of political rights and the performance of the People's Assembly. Each has been the subject of heated debate between the NDP and opposition parties. Kamal El-Shazli, NDP assistant secretary- general, said the new legislation would aim to boost democratisation and political reform. It will, says Parliament Speaker Fathi Sorour, involve extending the People's Assembly current -- and final -- session so that it ends in July rather than June. The NDP and opposition parties were scheduled to hold a new round of meetings yesterday which, said El-Sherif, would focus on drafting a "charter of honour" -- the code of ethics that will underpin the organisation of election campaigns. The move comes following increasingly heated exchanges between NDP officials and some opposition figures. Al-Ghad Party leader Ayman Nour, who has accused the NDP of mounting a smear campaign against him, has said that he will boycott the meeting. In a campaign coordinated with Kifaya, the Egyptian Movement for Change, Nour will also be urging voters to boycott the referendum. "A boycott is our only option," said Nour. "The opposition cannot say yes to the amendment which in its current form voids moves towards direct multi-candidate presidential elections of any meaning. But nor can the opposition say no, since the NDP would use this to suggest to the public we want the yes-or-no system back." Kifaya said last week it would call for a boycott of both the 25 May referendum and "the farce of presidential elections expected next September". In a conference held last Tuesday the three major opposition parties also announced that they will call for a boycott of the 25 May referendum. Most opposition parties also said they would boycott yesterday's national dialogue meeting.
