埃及新宪法草案公投获通过

Egyptian voters on Tuesday decisively approved a new constitution, handing a major victory to Islamists, even as the poll exposed their declining popularity ahead of important legislative elections.

埃及选民周二投票通过了新宪法草案，这一决定性的公投结果使伊斯兰派获得了一项重大胜利，但此次投票也暴露出在重要的议会选举前，伊斯兰派不断下滑的声望。

Sami Abu Al Maati, head of the country's High Elections Commission, said just 33% of Egypt's eligible voters cast ballots in the referendum, with nearly 64% supporting the charter over the forceful objections of its secular-leaning opponents, who worry it will lay the groundwork for an Islamist state.

埃及最高选举委员会(High Elections Commission)负责人马提(Sami Abu Al Maati)说，此次公投只有33%的合格选民投了票，有64%的投票者支持新宪法草案，尽管草案遭到了非宗教反对派的强烈反对。反对派担心新宪法将为建立一个伊斯兰国家创造条件。

In a news conference Tuesday night, Mr. Maati brushed aside the largely secular opposition's complaints that the vote had been rigged. Before the official announcement, opposition leaders had accused the Muslim Brotherhood of using widespread fraud during the vote and demanded an investigation, particularly into isolated cases where they said impostors filled in for judicial vote monitors.

马提在周二晚间的资讯发布会上没有理会多为非宗教人士的反对派的抗议。反对派抗议说，此次投票存在舞弊行为。在官方公布投票结果前，反对派领袖指责穆斯林兄弟会(Muslim Brotherhood)在投票期间大量使用欺诈手段，并强烈要求对投票进行调查，特别是要调查他们所说的有人冒充司法投票监督员的个案。

The new constitution takes effect immediately. Brotherhood-backed President Mohammed Morsi will yield his legislative powers to the Islamist-dominated Shura Council--the upper house of Parliament that will convene Wednesday--until legislative elections are held within two months.

新宪法将立即生效。穆斯林兄弟会支持的总统穆尔西(Mohammed Morsi)将把立法权力移交给伊斯兰教徒主导的协商会议(Shura Council)，直到两个月内举行议会选举。协商会议是埃及上议院，将于周三召开会议。

The previous constitution allowed Mr. Morsi to appoint 90 new members to the council, which he did Monday. Though his administration approached opposition leaders to fill those seats, many declined to participate in a Brotherhood-led government. In the end, he appointed Islamist stalwarts and relatively unknown secularists.

旧宪法允许穆尔西任命90位新议员加入上议院，他周一已经完成这一工作。尽管他领导的政府曾接触过反对派领袖，希望他们能够出任新议员之职，但很多人拒绝参与穆斯林兄弟会领导的政府。最后，穆尔西任命了信仰伊斯兰教的忠实拥护者和相对籍籍无名的非宗教人士。

In the weeks preceding the vote, liberal activists led protests against Mr. Morsi and his efforts to push the constitution through.

在公投前的几周，自由派活动人士组织了多场抗议活动，反对穆尔西及其力促新宪法草案通过的努力。

'It is going to pass, but it's really a sad day, in my view, for Egypt, because it is going to institutionalize instability,' said Mohamed ElBaradei in an interview on PBS Newshour with Jim Lehrer that aired Monday night. Mr. ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Egyptian presidential candidate, leads the National Salvation Front, the political umbrella group that represents Mr. Morsi's opponents.

在美国公共广播公司(PBS)周一晚间播出的“资讯时间(Newshour)节目中，巴哈迪(Mohamed ElBaradei)在接受莱勒(Jim Lehrer)采访时说，新宪法草案会通过，但在我看来，对埃及来说这真是悲哀的一天，因为这会制造不稳定。巴哈迪是诺贝尔和平奖得主，曾是埃及总统候选人。他领导着“救国阵线(National Salvation Front)。这个政治组织代表穆尔西的反对派。

'It is a very polarizing charter, and it defies a lot of the basic human values we live by, like freedom of religion, freedom of expression, independence of the judiciary,' he said.

他说，这是一个非常两极化的宪法草案，它无视我们所依据的人的很多基本价值观，比如宗教自由、言论自由和司法独立。

Although the constitution won nearly two-thirds of the vote, the final result falls short of Mr. Morsi's predictions that it would pass by a large enough margin to shame opposition protesters the Brotherhood had labeled little more than a vocal minority.

尽管新宪法草案获得了近三分之二的选票，但最终结果仍不及穆尔西的预期。他曾认为，新宪法草案将以很大的优势通过，可以令反对派抗议者颜面扫地。穆斯林兄弟会曾称反对派抗议者只不过是叫嚣的少数派。

The U.S. responded to the results with a cautious statement that nodded to the low participation in the referendum. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell called on Mr. Morsi to 'move forward in a way that recognizes the urgent need to bridge divisions, build trust, and broaden support for the political process.'

美国对埃及的公投结果发表了谨慎的声明，承认公投的投票率较低。美国国务院发言人文特尔(Patrick Ventrell)呼吁穆尔西推进的方式要能够承认埃及目前迫切需要消除分歧、建立互信，并为这一政治过程争取更广泛的支持。

Mr. Ventrell said many Egyptians have voiced concerns about the constitutional process. 'The future of Egypt's democracy depends on forging a broader consensus behind its new democratic rules and institutions.'

文特尔说，很多埃及人对宪法草案公投过程都表示担忧。埃及民主的未来取决于就新的民主规则和制度达成更广泛的共识。

The fight over the constitution has taxed Mr. Morsi and his allies' popularity just as politicians prepare for parliamentary elections set to be held within two months.

在埃及政界人士为定于两个月内举行的议会选举做准备之际，围绕新宪法草案的斗争打击了穆尔西及其盟友的声望。

That election will be crucial: The new constitution leaves substantial room for legislators to define the character of Egypt's emerging government. Mr. Morsi said he is also waiting for a politically stable moment to impose a set of austerity measures, mostly in the form of tax increases, that will further test his popularity.

议会选举将至关重要：新宪法草案给议员们界定埃及即将产生的新政府的性质留下了相当大的空间。穆尔西说，他也在等待一个政治上稳定的时机来实施一系列紧缩措施，紧缩措施的主要形式是增税。这些措施将进一步考验穆尔西的人气。

At the height of protests over his constitutional initiative this month, Mr. Morsi delayed final negotiations over a $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund and withdrew tax increases that had sparked protests even from within the Brotherhood's own ranks.

在反对穆尔西本月提出的宪法动议的抗议活动最如火如荼时，穆尔西推迟了与国际货币基金组织(International Monetary Fund)就后者提供48亿美元贷款的最后谈判，并取消了甚至在穆斯林兄弟会内部也引发抗议的增税措施。

The Brotherhood is set to return to negotiations in mid-January, but some economic experts said they expect Mr. Morsi to delay a final IMF deal until after the elections.

穆斯林兄弟会定于明年1月中旬重新回到谈判桌前，但一些经济专家说，他们预计穆尔西将推迟与IMF达成最后协议，直到议会选举结束之后。

Meanwhile, continued instability is taking a heavy toll on the economy. Egypt is grappling with a skewed balance of payments that has piled pressure on the Egyptian pound.

与此同时，持续的动荡给经济带来沉重打击。埃及国际收支失衡，对埃及镑的汇率形成了压力。

The ratings firm Standard & Poor's cut Egypt's long-term sovereign credit rating to single-B-minus from single-B on Monday, saying 'political and social tensions in Egypt have escalated and are likely to remain at elevated levels over the medium term.'

评级公司标准普尔(Standard & Poor's)周一将埃及长期主权信用评级从B级下调至B-级，表示埃及的政治社会矛盾已经加剧，中期可能将维持在较高水平。

'Increased polarization between the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party and sections of the population is likely to weaken the sovereign's ability to deliver sustainable public finances, promote balanced growth, and respond to further economic or political shocks,' the ratings firm said.

标准普尔说，穆斯林兄弟会的自由与正义党(Freedom and Justice Party)以及部分民众之间日益两极分化，可能会削弱埃及实现公共财政可持续、促进均衡增长、应对更多经济及政治冲击的能力。

Within hours of the ratings change, Egypt's pound had dropped to an eight-year low of 6.18 to the dollar.

调整评级过后没几个小时，埃及镑即跌至一美元兑6.18镑的八年最低水平。

Tuesday's results add to mounting evidence of dwindling support for the Islamist politicians who emerged as voter favorites immediately following the revolution that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak nearly two years ago.

周二的公投结果进一步证明伊斯兰派政界人士的支持率正在萎缩。埃及在接近两年前爆发革命，前总统穆巴拉克(Hosni Mubarak)被推翻，伊斯兰派政界人士脱颍而出成为选民青睐的对象。

A month after Mr. Mubarak stepped down and yielded power to the military, the Brotherhood and other Islamists backed proposed constitutional amendments drafted by the military leadership. Egyptians passed the amendments with 77% of the vote.

穆巴拉克下台、将权力交给军方一个月之后，穆斯林兄弟会和其他伊斯兰派对军方领导人起草的宪法修正案草案表示支持。埃及人以77%的赞成率通过了这些修正案。

Since then, the Brotherhood's polling strength has declined. In parliamentary elections late last year and early this year, the Brotherhood and hard-line Salafi politicians took about 72% of the seats. Judges dissolved the parliament several months after it sat.

从那时候以来，穆斯林兄弟会的选情已经减弱。去年年底今年年初的议会选举中，穆斯林兄弟会和强硬的萨拉菲派政界人士获得大约72%的席位。在就职数月之后，这个议会即被法官解散。

The Brotherhood's fortunes continued to decline in presidential elections in June, when Mr. Morsi eked out a victory over a former regime loyalist with 52% of the vote.

穆斯林兄弟会的运势在6月份的总统选举中继续衰减。在那次选举中，穆尔西以52%的得票率勉强战胜了一位拥护前政权的候选人。

Each successive election has also seen a decline in voter participation that some analysts and government opponents said reflects withering confidence in Egypt's new political system. Whereas 41% of eligible voters cast ballots in March's referendum, just 33% voted this month.

在历次选举中，选民参与率也是一次不如一次。一些分析人士和反对派说，这反映选民对埃及新政治体制的信心日益萎靡。3月份的公投中有41%的合资格选民投票，而这个月只有33%的选民投票。

This shows 'a decline in faith in the process,' said Mahmoud Salem, a liberal blogger who ran in last year's parliamentary elections. 'This constitution showed that [about] 68% of the population didn't vote on it, which means that [about] 68% of the population thinks that the results are' not to be trusted, he said before the final totals were announced.

曾在去年议会选举中参选的自由派博客作者萨利姆(Mahmoud Salem)说，这证明选民对政治进程的信心下降。他在最后结果公布之前说，大约68%的选民没有对这部宪法投票，说明68%左右的选民认为表决结果不值得相信。

If the downward spiral continues, the Brotherhood and other Islamists could face a strong challenge from secularists buoyed by growing outrage over what they see as the Islamists' grasp for power.

如果参与率持续下降，穆斯林兄弟会和其他伊斯兰派可能就会直面世俗派的强大挑战。世俗派认为伊斯兰派紧握权力不放，因此越来越愤怒，活动积极性高涨。

The National Salvation Front pledged this week to help unify liberal political parties ahead of parliamentary polling.

救国阵线本周承诺，将在议会选举之前帮助团结各自由派政治党派。

Some secular citizens said a digital video that was released Saturday on an Islamist group's website confirmed their worst fears about how Islamists plan to manipulate vaguely worded language in the new charter to impose Islamic law.

部分世俗民众说，他们最担心的就是伊斯兰派准备利用新宪法中的语焉不详的措辞来实施伊斯兰法，一家伊斯兰组织上周六在其网站上公布的一段视频印证了他们的这种担心。

The video shows Yasser Al Burhami, a leader in the hard-line Islamist Dawa Salafiya group, boasting to a gathering of conservative Muslim leaders in late November over how the new constitution's definition of Shariah law will be used to 'put restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of creativity and freedom of belief.'

视频显示，在11月下旬保守派穆斯林领导人的一次会议期间，强硬派伊斯兰组织“Dawa Salafiya的领导人布哈米(Yasser Al Burhami)扬言，他将如何利用新宪法对伊斯兰法的定义，来“限制表达自由、创作自由和信仰自由。

The Salafi leader went on to criticize the new Coptic Christian pope, who recently voiced his opposition to the constitutional drafting panel. Christians joined dozens of secular-leaning delegates who walked out of the constitutional-drafting committee to protest Islamist bullying shortly before the assembly completed the document in November. Coptics constitute more than 10% of Egyptians and represent the vast majority of Egyptian Christians.

这位萨拉菲派领导人接着抨击科普特正教会(Coptic Orthodox Church)的新任总教主。这位总教主最近表达了他对制宪委员会的反对意见。在制宪委员会11月完成宪法起草之前不久，基督教徒和数十名世俗倾向的代表一起退出制宪委员会，以抗议伊斯兰派恃强凌弱。科普特教徒超过埃及人口的10%，埃及绝大多数的基督徒都是科普特教徒。

'This is probably the first time in our history that the Christians were not present in writing the constitution,' said Khaled Dawoud, an NSF spokesman.

救国阵线的发言人达乌德(Khaled Dawoud)说，这可能是我们历史上第一次出现基督徒未参加宪法起草的情形。