Egypt’s top judicial body says it will oversee a referendum on a new constitution, state media reports.
The Supreme Judicial Council said it would delegate judges to monitor the vote, despite calls for a boycott, Mena news agency quoted officials as saying.
The council has not yet commented.
The referendum is due to take place on 15 December, but the draft constitution and a recent decree by President Mohammed Morsi extending his powers have prompted widespread protests.
The Judges’ Club, which represents judges across the country, has urged its members to boycott the vote.
But Mohamed Gadallah, the legal adviser to Mr Morsi, told Reuters news agency: “The Supreme Judicial Council has met and agreed to delegate judges to oversee the constitutional referendum.”
The BBC’s Jon Leyne in Cairo says the council’s apparent decision is important, because judges have to supervise the vote at each polling station as part of the official procedure.
Mr Gadallah said about 10,000 judges would be needed to monitor the process.
Egypt’s judges have been among the strongest opponents of President Morsi’s recent decisions, including his recent decree which extended his powers, but our correspondent says it appears they are divided.
Protests are continuing in Cairo, and the opposition has not yet said whether it will take part in the referendum.
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