Marsa Matrouh province had one of the lowest voter turnouts in last week’s constitutional referendum (15-20%), which may have been the result of warnings made by religious leaders. The imam from the al-Fateh al-Salafi Mosque in Marsa Matrouh advised people not to go out to vote. Salafist leaders in the province issued fatwas in weeks leading to the referendum denouncing participation. The fatwas said that any person who votes for the Constitution would be considered a “semi-infidel,” and that the only alternative to the Constitution was the Koran.
Marsa Matrouh province had one of the lowest voter turnouts in last week’s constitutional referendum (15-20%), which may have been the result of warnings made by religious leaders. The imam from the al-Fateh al-Salafi Mosque in Marsa Matrouh advised people not to go out to vote. Salafist leaders in the province issued fatwas in weeks leading to the referendum denouncing participation. The fatwas said that any person who votes for the Constitution would be considered a “semi-infidel,” and that the only alternative to the Constitution was the Koran.
Tribal youth feared dipping their fingers in the phosphoric ink in order not to be socially punished inside the al-Fateh mosque, should anyone see the ink on their figures and know that they did not obey the fatwas of the Salafist leaders.
Unprecedented representation
Although it is the first time that an Egyptian Constitution contains an article (article 236) that obliges the state to realize the development of Matrouh within a period of 10 years, respect the customs and traditions of the tribes and preserve their heritage and identity, it still was not enough to convince residents in Matrouh. Only 36,000 participated out of a total population of 322,000.
The role of the fatwa
Voter turnout during the 2012 constitution’s referendum however was much higher –estimated at around 77,000 voters, 70,000 of whom voted for Morsi’s Constitution, as the fatwas issued at that time promised those who went to vote for the Constitution a place in heaven.
Disagreements that have their impact
The very low turnout in the voting after the Salafists’ fatwas campaign reflects, to a large extent, the disagreements between the leaders of the Salafists in Matrouh and the leaders of the al-Nour Party, headed by Dr. Yunus Makhion on the backdrop of dispersing of the Rabea al-Adawiya Square sit-ins and before that the participation of the al-Nour Party in the Future Map since 3 July. Most of the Salafist leaders in Matrouh believe that it was a mistake and that the party shouldn’t have participated in it. For this reason, conflicts erupted between the Salafist leaders in Alexandria – the city where most Salafist leaders reside, and the leaders of Matrouh. This led to the closure of the al-Nour Party premises in Matrouh as a reaction to the al-Dawa al-Salafiya in Matrouh’s participation in the road map.
Who has the power?
The block that did vote for the new Constitution belongs to those who reside in it and yet have non-tribal origins – the displaced people from the Delta and Upper Egypt who settled in Matrouh and formed families there. The percentage reached 90% of those who voted and who have the right to vote. This reveals that the percentage that supports the Constitution is not from among the supporters of the al-Nour Party and this is an indication on the weak influence of the party on the voting blocks.
The power to control the voting block in the desert, which belongs to the tribes is still in the hands of the sheikhs split against al-Dawa al-Salafiya and the party. It seems that they were successful in showing their ability to control this block and guide it the way they wanted. On the other side, the influence of the Salafist leaders of the al-Nour Party on the Matrouh voting block looks very fragile. This is a strong indicator of the landscape of the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.
