Egypt rights groups say vote marred by violations

Associated Press

Key Egyptian rights groups are calling for a repeat of the first round of a constitutional referendum on grounds that the vote was marred by widespread violations. Representatives of the seven groups told a news conference that Saturday's vote in 10 of Egypt's 27 provinces lacked sufficient supervision by judges. They alleged Sunday that some individuals falsely identified themselves as judges, that vote counting was not witnessed by monitors and some women were prevented from voting. The claim of widespread violations came only hours after President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brother group claimed that a majority of Egyptians who voted on a proposed Islamist-backed constitution have approved the document. Turnout was unofficially estimated at around 32 percent. The second round of voting on the charter is planned for Saturday Dec. 22.