CAIRO: Mohamed Habib, deputy chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), announced that his group will boycott Monday's referendum on the amendments to the constitution. He says the MB, the largest and most well-organized opposition group which has long been banned by the regime, will boycott the referendum in solidarity with other political movements which have also decided to boycott. "We will refuse to take part in this referendum, Habib told The Daily Star Egypt. According to a statement released on the MB website, www.ikhwanweb.com, "Habib demanded all Egyptian people boycott the referendum and not to participate in this farce that will lead to more dictatorship, repression and tyranny in Egypt. The site also reports that the Karama Party as well as opposition members of the People's Assembly, drawn largely from the Brotherhood but registered as independents "have declared their boycott to the referendum and called on all sections of the society do the same. The announcement came one day after opposition members of the PA at a press conference, accused the ruling National Democratic Party of manipulating the constitution. The opposition - which includes Muslim Brotherhood, Wafd and El Karama MPs - had boycotted parliamentary discussions of 34 constitutional amendments which were approved by the PA on Monday night. They had spoken to the press amid tight security which blockaded the entrance to Meglis El Shaab Street, preventing anyone but journalists from entering. The independent MPs claimed that the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) rushed the discussion of the amendments to avoid a confrontation with the opposition and the public that reject the proposed changes. Al Wafd party's MP Mohamed Abdel Alim Daoud said the newly adopted amendments reaffirm dictatorship. He reaffirmed what the opposition has been saying about the amendments and reform. "They take us a step back. They take us to the age of political arrests . and disrespect for the dignity of the Egyptian citizen. The wording of the amendments, especially the article concerning the introduction of anti-terrorism legislation "will increase political inflammation, said Mohamed El Katatny, head of the MB bloc in parliament. The Brotherhood will not, however, go into a confrontation with the regime, El Katatny had said during the press conference. "We want peaceful succession of authority. El Karama's Hamdin Sabbahy said his party also plans to boycott the referendum. He added that the parliamentary discussion was "murdering the constitution and that the NDP was like "a criminal who wants to cover up all traces of his crime. With additional reporting by Magdy Samaan
