CAIRO: Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Qandeel has called on all political groups and protesters to end their sit-ins ahead of a December 15 referendum on the controversial draft constitution. Qandeel urged both anti-President Mohamed Morsi protesters in Tahrir Square and at the Presidential Palace as well as Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators at the Supreme Constitutional Court to withdraw in order to allow the voting to take place in a calm atmosphere. He argued that the protests are legitimate “when there were no other means to express support for or outrage against the draft constitution and decree,” but he argued that since Morsi withdrew his decree and the referendum is set to take place, the protests are not appropriate. “Let each team express their stance and views through ballot boxes,” said the PM, adding that polls are the legitimate means express views, reported the MENA state-run news agency. He continued to say that “the people are the decision makers as long as they have the freedom to resort to ballot boxes through democratic, free and transparent vote.” The call is likely to fall on deaf ears, especially after the opposition National Salvation Front (NSF) said they refused the referendum on Sunday at a press conference. The move means that Egypt's political tension is likely to continue with more protests, which saw a large march reach the presidential palace as the Front of delivering their argument against participating in the referendum. They said that the entire process of drafting the constitution is wrong and the constituent assembly tasked with writing the constitution was laden with Islamists and is “illegitimate." The constitution has been a major contentious issue and the Front has repeatedly demanded that President Mohamed Morsi postpone the referendum as a court is to rule on the assembly's legality in the drafting process. Egypt is facing continued deadlock over the future of the country. Supporters of Morsi claim that as the democratically elected president of Egypt he has the right, even the duty, to push forward the draft constitution for referendum on December 15. Critics of the president argue that the document was written by a largely Islamist front of ultra-conservatives and threatens the very future of freedom and rights in the country. It's a stalemate, even as Morsi rescinded the presidential decree that made his decisions above judicial review on Saturday night. He, however, refused to budge on the constitutional referendum, which has sparked more anger and more protests scheduled for Sunday across the country. The constitution, drafted by predominantly conservative Islamists, is the issue at hand in Egypt. Critics say that even though Morsi was democratically elected, he does not represent the majority and cannot implement his will through the constitution. They argue that the drafting process was not representative of the country, especially after numerous groups, including women's rights organizations, Coptic Christians and liberal leaders withdrew after saying the Islamists would not compromise on any issue. Adding fuel to the protest movement now gripping the country is the first-round of election votes, which saw Morsi garner only 25 percent of the electorate. Anti-Morsi critics say this is proof that he does not have a mandate to rule with an iron fist and force down the throats a constitution that eliminates women's rights, equality and freedom of religion. “This is the problem we are facing right now," 27-year-old Mohamed Mahmoud, an unemployed recent university graduate, told Bikyamasr.com on Friday at the presidential palace as hundreds of thousands had gathered. “We are not represented and we have no time to campaign and make people aware. It is not fair and it is not democracy," he added. At the heart of the matter for more than half of Egypt's 90 million population, are women's rights and how they are represented, or not represented, in the draft constitution.
