Egyptian army soldiers and plainclothes policemen guard a polling station in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Jan. 13, 2014 (Photo: AP)
Final security measures have been put in place ahead of Tuesday and Wednesday's constitutional referendum, with security and army forces planning to be on hand at polling stations and centres throughout the country, state-run MENA reported.
Major General Tawfik Abdel-Samei, commander of Egypt's Central Military Zone, told MENA that all security preparations in coordination with the police had been finalised. He assured that polling stations will be secured on the inside by security forces, with members of the armed forces deployed outside, and additional armed security personnel stationed on the roofs to anticipate any emergency that may disrupt the voting process.
No vehicles will be allowed to park in the vicinity of the polling stations, he added.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, for his part, warned on Monday against any attempts to spoil the referendum, stressing that they would be met with "force and firmness."
Over 160,000 police officers and army conscripts will be securing a total of 30,317 polling stations throughout Egypt, according to Al Ahram's Arabic news website.
Approximately 53,423,485 citizens are eligible to vote in the referendum.
The new constitution, if approved, will replace the 236-article charter from 2012, which had been drafted by an Islamist-dominated Constituent Assembly. As part of the post-June 30 political roadmap, a successful referendum will be followed by parliamentary and presidential elections within the next six months.
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