Egyptian Election Official Resigns During Controversial Referendum

One of Egypt’s top election officials has resigned in the midst of Egypt’s ongoing constitutional referendum.

In a letter to Egypt’s election committee, which was also printed in several Egyptian newspapers, Zaghloul el-Balshi attributed his resignation to a “sudden health crisis.” El-Balshi’s announcement followed the first round of voting on Egypt’s proposed constitution.

According to Al-Jazeera, some critics are claiming that the resignation was prompted by allegations of irregularities.

Several Egyptian rights groups have called for a repeat of last Saturday’s voting, citing a lack of judicial supervision and other violations.

Egyptian law requires voting to be supervised by judges, many of whom have boycotted the referendum.

Egyptians are strongly divided over the proposed constitution, which is expected to pass after a second round of voting on Saturday.

STORY WRITTEN BY: ALEX MASSE