Egypt Islamists chase opposition from presidential palace

CAIRO - Agence France-Presse

Egyptians pose in front of anti-Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi graffiti painted on the wall of the Egyptian presidential palace at the end of a demonstration where thousands of protesters marched against Morsi's decree widening his powers and the new drafted constitution. AFP photo

Several thousand supporters of President Mohamed Morsi today chased opposition protesters from a camp they had set up outside the presidential palace in Cairo, an AFP correspondent said.
 
The Islamists rallied to the call of the Muslim Brotherhood, chanting "the people want to cleanse the square" of opposition demonstrators, and "Morsi has legitimacy".
 
Minor clashes involving stone-throwing took place before the secular-leaning opposition protesters -- who had besieged the building in their tens of thousands on Tuesday -- fled the area, an AFP photographer said.

Egypt referendum to go ahead as planned: VP

Egypt's vice president said on Wednesday that a contested referendum over a constitution drafted by Islamists will go ahead as planned, even as protests denouncing the charter raged outside.
 
Mahmud Mekki told reporters at the presidential palace that the referendum over the constitution "will go ahead on time" on December 15, and invited the opposition to put their objections to articles in writing for future discussion.