Opponents and supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's plans to proceed with a referendum on a draft constitution have vowed to take to the streets in Cairo, risking more violent confrontation after last week's deadly clashes.
Leftists, liberals and other opposition groups have called for marches to the presidential palace on Tuesday afternoon to protest against the hastily arranged referendum planned for Saturday.
The centre-right Islamists, who dominated the body that drew up the constitution, have urged their followers to turn out "in millions" the same day in a show of support for the president and for a referendum they feel sure of winning.
Critics of the draft constitution say it disregards the rights of women and ignores personal freedoms.
The opposition, stubbornly calling for the referendum to be delayed, was still trying to decide late on Monday whether to boycott the vote or rally Egyptians to vote "no" to the draft.
Egypt's political crisis began on November 22 when Morsi issued a decree expanding his powers, granting himself immunity from judicial oversight or challenge. The decree, which he later withdrew, sparked mass demonstrations.
Seven people were killed and hundreds wounded last week in clashes between the supporters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and opponents besieging the graffiti-daubed presidential palace.
| EGYPT TURMOIL |
 Nov 22: Morsi grants himself sweeping new powers, triggering days of protests.Nov 24: Judges call for nationwide strike in courts and prosecution offices to protest the decree. Nov 29: The constituent assembly adopts a draft constitution. The opposition says it was rushed through without proper consultation. Dec 1: Morsi says referendum on the draft will be held on December 15. Dec 5: Seven people are killed and hundreds wounded as opponents and supporters of Morsi clash. Dec 9: Morsi rescinds his controversial decree |
Military empowered
The elite Republican Guard has yet to use force to keep protesters away from the palace, now ringed with tanks, barbed wire and concrete barricades, but a decree issued by Morsi late on Sunday gives the armed forces the power to arrest civilians during the referendum and until the announcement of the results.
Middle East author Rachel Shabi predicted that Egypt's woes will only get worse if Saturday's referendum goes ahead.
"There's obviously a deep structural problem with a referendum over a constitution that most people won't even have had time to read and digest, never mind all the structural problems with the fact that the constitution was put together by an assembly that is not representative and was repeatedly criticised for being so unrepresentative," she told Al Jazeera in London.
"I do think the only way to dispel this crisis ... is to talk to the opposition and to build consensus over a postponed referendum and constitution."
The Egyptian president insists on holding the referendum on schedule, despite concerns over who will monitor the vote. Several groups of judges have said they will not oversee the referendum, as is customary for judges in Egypt.
Judges of the nation's administrative courts announced on Monday they were conditionally lifting their boycott of the vote, but they said their supervision of the process was conditional on bringing an end to the siege of the Supreme Constitutional Court by Morsi's supporters.
In exchange for their supervision, they also demanded assurances that authorities would crack down on vote canvassing outside polling stations and offer life insurance policies to the judges.
'Political polarisation'
Leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahy, one of the most prominent members of the National Salvation Front opposition coalition, said Morsi was driving a wedge between Egyptians and destroying prospects for consensus.
"The road Mohamed Morsi is taking now does not create the possibility for national consensus," Sabahy said.
If the constitution was passed, he said: "Egypt will continue in this really charged state. It is certain that this constitution is driving us to more political polarisation."
The National Salvation Front also includes Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa.
Morsi's decision on Saturday to retract a decree awarding himself wide powers failed to placate opponents who accused him of plunging Egypt deeper into crisis by refusing to postpone the vote on the constitution scheduled for December 15.
"We are against this process from start to finish," Hussein Abdel Ghani, spokesperson of the National Salvation Front, said.
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