A nationwide referendum to approve Egypt's first multicandidate presidential elections passed overwhelmingly, officials declared Thursday.
According to The AP, official results showed 83 percent of voters approved the constitutional changes in balloting Wednesday. Turnout was 54 percent of registered voters - a figure the Interior Ministry said was higher than in any previous presidential referendum.
This turnout came following calls by six opposition parties to boycott the vote.
Earlier, initial results indicated that 98 percent of voters in the province of Assiut approved the constitutional amendment.
