CAIRO: Egypt's State Council (also known as the administrative court) announced on Monday its conditional approval to oversee the constitutional referendum scheduled for December 15. Head of the Council, Judge Hamdi Yassin, said at a press conference that they decided to supervise the referendum if the government fulfills their conditions. The conditions are to end the scuffles between citizens and stop the bloodshed, to end the siege of all state institutions on top of which the Supreme Constitutional Court so that the judges can perform their work freely without threat. Yassin stressed upon the necessity to secure the high committee of the referendum and to protect voters and prevent influencing their opinions during the referendum whether inside or outside the polling stations. In addition to providing life insurance for participating judges and granting them the right to withdraw if their independence is jeopardized. He added that the council will form a committee to monitor the implementation of these conditions prior to the date of the referendum. He stressed that the council's position does not conflict with the personal freedom of the judges to accept or refuse overseeing the referendum.
