Interim President Adly Mansour issued a presidential decree on Monday, amending the law on the right to political participation, "allowing the majority of citizens" to take part in the constitutional referendum on 14 and 15 January. The amendment was made to the provisions of Law No. 73 for the year 1956, allowing people living outside their governorates to vote in polling stations outside of their electoral districts. Presidential spokesman Ihab Badawi said the purpose of the amendment is to facilitate voting for citizens, state run MENA reported. Article 32 of the law has been amended to include the following section: "During a referendum, it is permissible for a voter who is present in a governorate other than the governorate which their address on their national ID cards falls under to vote before a relevant polling station in the governorate which they are present in, according to regulations determined by the Supreme Electoral Committee." In this case, the voters' information as stated on their national ID cards is written on a separate list; two copies are made and are signed by the head of the polling station and the rest of the employees inside the station. Secretary General of the Committee and Official Spokesperson of the Supreme Electoral Committee Nasr El-Din Shi'eshe' had said after a committee meeting last week that voters will vote in polling stations in their electoral districts, which is decided based on the address stated in their national ID cards. He added that there will be no exceptions. "All voters inside Egypt" will vote based on their electoral districts, he said. Egyptian expatriates are expected to begin voting on the constitution on Wednesday.
