‘Read, think and decide' and / or ‘Why say no?' are examples of eye-catching headlines in leaflets that had found their way into the hands of voters days before the referendum on the controversial constitution. A media war between those for and those against the country's first post-revolution constitution escalated when voters were invited two weeks ago to express their opinion on December 15. The media war has spill onto the streets in the form of intensive leaflet circulation campaigns. Observers say campaigners, who targeted crowded areas such as places of worship, educational institutions and public transportation in the few days before the referendum, were also spotted distributing leaflets on the day of the referendum only a few yards away from the polling stations. What may be termed the ‘paper war' reflects the divisions among those people who think the constitution will bring stability to the country and others who think it does not meet the expectations of the revolutionaries who toppled a heavy-handed regime. The circulars express the views of both parties. Some stress the fact that the constitution pays tribute to those injured in the deadly clashes during and following the revolution. Their leaflets highlight articles which they say give a high threshold for freedom of expression, accord the poor and marginalised their due rights and limit the authority of the President. Those circulars against the constitution say that it does not protect the poor, clips the wings of the judiciary and denies the military budget parliamentary supervision. The paper war has helped consolidate the polarisation that has developed in some instances into direct violent clashes, increasing the confusion of many hesitant voters. Despite the high turnout in the first phase of the referendum, with huge queues outside the polling stations, some citizens, such as Hassan Ahmed, a 35-year-old physiotherapist, believe the pressure from both sides is repulsive. Although Ahmed still has a few days to make up his mind since he is a resident of Giza, one of the governorates that won't vote till December 22, he told this newspaper that he has decided not to vote at all. “I'm completely at a loss since the way each side interprets the constitutional articles is really quite convincing," he comments. According to Mohamed el-Gawadi, a writer and historian, the two parties have no desire to listen to each other. He lashes out at a corrosive war being conducted by the media, which are tying to get citizens to vote one way or another. He hopes that one day we will witness political maturity and an end to such violent polarisation.
