Mubarak wins 94 pc vote in referendum

Mubarak took over as President of Egypt in 1981 after his predecessor Anwar Sadat was assassinated by Islamic radicals. Mubarak was Sadat’s Vice President.

The “yes” vote totalled 17,554,856, Habib al-Adli announced on television.

The 71-year-old President was the only candidate in the yes-or-no referendum.

The opposition has demanded direct, multi-party elections, which has been rejected by Mubarak who has been in power since 1981.

It is for the first time that the “yes” vote has fallen below 95 per cent in a presidential referendum. During the presidency of Mubarak’s predecessor, the late Anwar Sadat, the “yes” vote was invariably 99.9 per cent.

In his previous three referendums, Mubarak received more than 95 per cent. In 1993, thelast plebiscite, he got 96 per cent.

Mubarak’s victory had been largely predicted with victory arches, festoons and banners pledging allegiance to the President coming up all over Cairo in the past couple of weeks.

Yesterday, a large crowd chanted, “With our soul and blood, we sacrifice for you, Mubarak,” as the President cast his vote with his family.

On Friday, Mubarak had urged Egyptians to cast their vote saying, “This is not so much a referendum on my person, as on the path of our nation.”

He said Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri’s Cabinet would resign after the vote, but would stay on until a new one is formed.