An election worker shows his colleagues an invalid ballot at the end of the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of president Mohammed Morsi on Dec. 22, 2012.
The opposition has dismissed the constitution as the fruition of an illegitimate process.
The low turnout for the referendum — 32 percent of the more than 51 million eligible voters, or 20 percent of Egypt's 85 million people, according to unofficial results — has shown the limitations Islamists face in marketing an Islamic state in a nation still largely loyal to secular traditions.
Morsi could be tainted by allegations of voting violations instigated by Islamists and reported by rights groups. The charges could cast doubt on the democratic credentials of the Islamists and lead to damaging analogies between Morsi's administration and Mubarak's authoritarian regime, which oversaw massive electoral fraud for years.
The opposition is demanding an investigation of alleged wrongdoing in the vote.
The Brotherhood insisted violations were limited and should not affect the referendum's integrity.
But prominent lawyer and rights activist Negad Borai described the violations as systematic.
"What happened in the referendum could lead to violence and bloodshed if repeated in a parliamentary election when the stakes are higher," he warned.
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Hendawi is the Associated Press chief of bureau in Cairo.
An AP News Analysis
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