Voting starts in Egypt referendum

Egyptians started voting Tuesday amid tight security in a two-day referendum on a new constitution, which could pave the way for fresh elections in the country.

The new draft of the constitution aims to replace the one passed under former Islamist president Mohammed Morsi months before he was ousted last July by the military.

The referendum opened at 9 a.m. in 27 governorates across the country and was scheduled to close at 9 p.m., Xinhua reported.

The new constitution can pave country's future roadmap, after Morsi's ouster following mass protests against his one-year rule and Muslim Brotherhood group, which has recently been declared as a "terrorist organisation" by the interim government.

If the draft constitution gets approved, Egypt will hold parliamentary and presidential elections. The post-Morsi transitional period will end in mid-June, six months after the referendum.

The new constitution will replace the one drafted and approved under former Islamist president Morsi in 2012.

Shortly before voting began, an explosion took place outside a court in Giza, part of Greater Cairo, although no casualties were reported.

Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group has decided to boycott the constitutional referendum and there are fears of violence.

The interior ministry said 200,000 police officers, 150 security units and 200 combat groups are being deployed around the polling stations for two days.

Since Morsi's ouster, Islamists have been protesting against the interim government, specially after August 2013, when the security forces dispersed two major pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo and Giza, leaving about 1,000 people dead. The police also arrested thousands of Morsi supporters, including leading Brotherhood members.

On Monday, the prosecution referred over 1,200 Islamists to criminal court over charges of damaging two police stations in Minya governorate south of the capital Cairo.

Experts said a huge turnout and a strong "yes" vote in the constitutional referendum, signify popular support for the military and its chief, Defence Minister Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.