Egyptians Head To The Polls Amid Tight Security

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January 14, 2014

The constitutional referendum vote today and tomorrow in Egypt is considered a test for the country's military chief, Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

He led the military ouster of the democratically elected Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last July.

A "yes" vote and a good turnout would be seen as an endorsement for the general and would undermine the argument by Morsi's supporters in the Muslim Brotherhood that he remains the nation's president.

The brotherhood has called for a boycott of this week's vote.

The BBC's James Reynolds is in Cairo and joins Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson to discuss the latest on Egypt's constitutional vote.

Here & Now's Robin Young then speaks to Dalia Ziada, a prominent human rights activist in Egypt.

Ziada says her polling indicates that 78 percent of people surveyed by her organization will vote yes on the draft constitution.

She says it's better than the old constitution, even though it is still not perfect.

Guest

James Reynolds, correspondent for the BBC. He tweets @JamesEReynolds.
Dalia Ziada, director of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Democratic Studies in Cairo, Egypt. She tweets @daliaziada.

This segment aired on January 14, 2014.