Egypt Constitution Vote "Marred By Irregularities": Reports

NPR notes that the national referendum conducted Saturday on the Egyptian constitution was "marred by irregularities." The country's Islamists, backing and backed by Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood-linked President Mohamed Morsi, have claimed a narrow victory in the vote. Egypt has been gripped by a spiraling political legitimacy crisis since late November, when a power grab by Morsi triggered widespread protests. Opposition frustration was exacerbated when the country's Islamist-dominated constitutional assembly hastily approved a constitutional draft grounded in Islamic law and criticized for inadequately protecting the rights of women and religious minorities. The referendum voting, which will conclude this Saturday, does not appear to have stabilized the situation.