Egyptian voters who went to the polls this week have overwhelmingly approved a new constitution , a spokesman for Egypt 's electoral commission announced Saturday in a national broadcast . The referendum passed handily with 98.1 % voting in favor of the new constitution and 1.9 percent voting no , the commission official told reporters in Cairo . The head of the Egypt Constitutional Committee described the turnout as `` unprecedented '' -- 20 million people , representing 38.6 % of those eligible to vote . Supporters of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood had boycotted the vote , which took place Tuesday and Wednesday , in response to a continuing government crackdown . The Brotherhood had supported the country 's first democratically elected president , Mohamed Morsy , who was ousted last July in a military coup . The Anti-Coup Alliance , composed largely of supporters of Morsy and the Brotherhood , rejected the results in a posting on its Twitter account : `` 98.1 % is not considered a real democracy but a solo dictatorship , '' it said . `` If people are arrested for holding 'vote NO ' posters ... should these results be counted ? '' The head of the committee heaped praise on this week 's results , calling them a move forward on the path toward democracy . Rights groups have expressed concern about what they call an increasingly repressive environment in Egypt , where more than 2,200 people have been killed since the ouster of Morsy , who had replaced strongman Hosni Mubarak after he stepped aside in February 2011 amid the massive anti-government demonstrations that were part of the Arab Spring . Many officials in the international community , too , have spoken out against the Egyptian government 's crackdown on dissenters . In a statement Saturday , U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated his own country 's `` serious concern about the limits on freedom of peaceful assembly and expression in Egypt . '' The new constitution could be a positive milestone for the volatile North African nation , Kerry said , so long as its leaders stand by it . `` It 's what comes next that will shape Egypt 's political , economic and social framework for generations , '' Kerry said . `` As Egypt 's transition proceeds , the United States urges the interim Egyptian government to fully implement those rights and freedoms that are guaranteed in the new constitution for the benefit of the Egyptian people , and to take steps toward reconciliation . ''
Top Egypt diplomat says constitution could be good for U.S. if leaders abide by it . The referendum passes with 38.6 % of the vote , electoral commission says . The 98.1 % turnout was `` unprecedented , '' the head of the constitutional committee says . Supporters of Brotherhood had boycotted the vote .