Source: Asia Times:
By Victor Kotsev
Egypt goes to the polls on Saturday in the first round of a referendum that will shape the future of the regime there and perhaps even the course of the Arab Spring in general.
Amid continuing clashes and extraordinarily high tensions – including allegations of fraud in early voting of expatriates in embassies across the world – Egyptians are set to approve or reject a controversial new constitution that draws heavily on Islamic law. The instability could have wide-ranging consequences, and even scenarios such as an army coup or an Islamist dictatorship are not out of question.