CAIRO: If one happened to go to Tahrir Square on Friday, one would think Egyptian demonstrators have already lost their revolutionary fervor. Only a few hundreds met in the square where people have gathered every Friday in tens or hundreds of thousands since the Egyptian revolution began on 25 January. But the majority of demonstrators were not in Tahrir Square on Friday. Instead, they flooded the streets nearby, chasing after passing-by as they aimed a final, lethal (they hoped) blow against Saturday's vote on constitutional amendments. Following a trend made familiar by the mass-commercialization of the symbols of the revolution that flooded the streets of Cairo since revolutionary clashes started, stickers, banners, t-shirts and flags with the logo “la” (“no”) where worn, waved and displayed at every corner in Downtown Cairo as opposers of the constitutional amendments carried out their last-minute campaign. In a statement circulated on Facebook few days before the referendum, the 6th of April Movement, one main youth organization that took the streets against the regime of former president Hosni Mubarak, addressed the constitutional amendments as “illegitimate,” stressing that they will bring back to life a “flawed constitution.” Once again, youth seemed to be taking the lead on Friday night, as soon as carpets and stages for Friday prayers were being removed from the alleys around Tahrir Square. Different Friday sermons were held in mosques around Cairo calling on believers to vote “yes” in Saturday's referendum. Muslim preachers from the southern district of Helwan addressed believers that a positive vote was a religious obligation, reported al-Masry al-Youm, as Muslim authorities welcomed constitutional amendments as a salutary change for the Egyptian political scene. As a main point against the amendments, a new draft of the constitution would represent a clear step towards a new political system. Moreover, drafting a new constitution will delay the date of Parliamentary elections, giving the time to newly formed political party to fill the gap with already existing organizations including the Muslim Brothers and formerly ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). As Saturday's vote remains uncertain, supporters and opposers of the referendum are split in two, with a large number still to make up their mind. BM
