CAIRO - Egyptians voted Wednesday in a referendum on a key constitutional amendment allowing for the country`s first competitive presidential race next September.
Some 32.5 million people are registered for the ballot.
Less than half of some nine million newly eligible voters -- mostly young Egyptians who have reached the voting age of 18 since the last polls -- failed to pick up their polling card in time, the interior ministry said.
But the ministry said those listed on the electoral roll can vote by simply showing their identification papers -- a measure the opposition denounces as liable to encourage fraud if papers are not systematically checked.
More than 54,000 voting booths have been set up across Egypt, with a ratio of one booth per 600 electors.
Only one polling station in 10 -- or 5,000 -- will be supervised by a judge, in line with the law. But some of Egypt`s 13,000 judges had warned they may not turn up owing to unfulfilled demands for more independence from the executive.
Ballot boxes are to be counted by 329 electoral commissions, each under judiciary supervision, with results expected Thursday.
The polling card is pink-colored and the ballot paper simply states: "Are you in agreement with the modification of Article 76 of the constitution by the People`s Assembly?"
Voters must tick a "yes" or "no" box, and can be provided with the text of amendment if they request.
Egypt`s secular and Islamist opposition has called for a boycott of the referendum, arguing that the amendment, overwhelmingly voted by MPs on May 10, still largely favors candidates of President Hosni Mubarak`s ruling party.
05/25/2005 14:41 GMT