Egyptians have voted overwhelmingly to constitutional amendments, allowing the country to move swiftly toward fresh parliamentary and presidential elections.
Moving further beyond the legacy of ousted President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year authoritarian regime, in the first test for democracy 77.2 per cent Egyptians voted "yes" to the nine constitutional amendments suggested by a committee formed by the Supreme Armed Forces Council.
The amendments limit the presidency to two four-year terms and lay out the requirement of a public referendum for imposing a state of emergency that lasts longer than six months. Egypt has been under a state of emergency for the last 30 years.
Other amendments in the package make easier the requirements for independent candidates seeking the presidency, besides laying out complete judicial oversight for elections.
By virtue of this result, the amended articles are the only active ones, while the rest of the constitution is suspended until a new constitution is written. The military-led transitional government has promised to hold free and fair elections in June.
One of the provisions in the amendments requires the new parliament to appoint a constitutional assembly within six months of taking office.
The constitutional assembly will then be responsible for drafting a new constitution, which would be put to another referendum before taking effect.
For Egyptians, the referendum was the first truly free vote in three decades.
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