On Saturday, Egyptians turned out in the millions to vote on whether or not to adopt a series of amendments to their constitution limiting the power of the president and altering the election process, with 77 percent to 23 percent backing the changes, according to The New York Times, which also states that the referendum broke established turnout records.
As Northwestern law professor Kristen Stilt told me last week, this accelerates the pace of elections, which will empower the established groups -- the Muslim Brotherhood and deposed Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party -- more than the more liberal secular forces, who have not had time to organize. The choice facing Egyptians was a difficult one to make -- they could push for elections sooner or roll the dice on extended military rule with the hope that an entirely new constitution would be adopted. It's not entirely surprising that they chose the route that would bring elections more quickly, but it's not entirely clear that this is the path that will lead to a sustainable Egyptian democracy.
