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Egyptian expats approve of new Constitution

CAIRO, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Though small in numbers, Egyptian expatriates who voted in the nation's constitutional referendum favored it, diplomats said.

Of the 681,000 Egyptian expatriates living around the world, only a small fraction reported to embassies and consulates to cast a ballot. In Saudi Arabia, home to the largest number of expats, there are 300,000 registered voters but only 23,651 voted on the constitutional referendum, held abroad through Sunday, Gulf News reported.

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In the United Arab Emirates, where about 400,000 Egyptians live, voter turnout was about 22,000, with 21,500 voting in favor of the new governing document.

Egypt's 52 million citizens will have their say this week, though it remains unclear how many there will show up, with supporters of deposed former President Mohamed Morsi vowing to boycott elections. Morsi, an Islamist who became the nation's first democratically elected president, was booted from office amid mass protests that prompted a military coup.

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