EGYPT: A group of Egyptian demonstrators say they are holding a hunger strike, vowing not to eat again until the president steps down

Record ID: 341027

  • Title: EGYPT: A group of Egyptian demonstrators say they are holding a hunger strike, vowing not to eat again until the president steps down
  • Date: 18th December 2012
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (DECEMBER 18, 2012) (REUTERS) OPENING IN CONCRETE WALL BLOCKING ROAD TO PRESIDENTIAL PALACE GRAFFITI ON WALL READING IN ARABIC: 'No to the terrorist constitution' PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH OPENING IN WALL DEMONSTRATOR STANDING ON WALL HOLDING EGYPTIAN FLAGS VARIOUS OF PRESIDENTIAL PALACE WITH WALLS COVERED IN GRAFFITI REPUBLICAN GUARD IN FRONT OF PALACE WALLS T
  • Embargoed: 2nd January 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEVF6L1F18BUREU5EE24RVRN3V
  • Story Text: As opposition protests gathered pace in Cairo on Tuesday (December 18) a small group of demonstrators entered the second day of a hunger strike, vowing not to eat until President Mohamed Mursi steps down.
    The protesters, who are camping outside Cairo's presidential palace, say the president has lost legitimacy and should leave office.
    "We started off as three and a couple of hours after we announced our hunger strike, many people joined us. At the moment I think we are more than 20 and more are joining as the situation escalates," said protester Adel Amin.
    Egypt's opposition is holding new protests against an Islamist-backed draft constitution that has divided the nation but which looks set to be approved in the second round of a referendum next weekend.
    Islamist President Mohamed Mursi obtained a 57 percent "yes" vote for the constitution in a first round of the referendum on Saturday, state media said, less than he had hoped for.
    The result is likely to embolden the opposition, which says the law is too Islamist. But they are unlikely to win this Saturday's second round, to be held in districts seen as even more sympathetic towards Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood.
    The main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, said there were widespread voting violations in the first round of the referendum and urged organisers to ensure that the second round was properly supervised.
    It has called for protests across Egypt on Tuesday "to stop forgery and bring down the invalid draft constitution" and wants organisers to re-run the first round of voting.
    The referendum has had to be held over two days because many of the judges needed to oversee polling staged a boycott in protest. In order to pass, the constitution must be approved by more than 50 percent of those voting.
    cai/ye/jrc
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