Egypt's Mufti Dr. Ali Gomaa urged all political powers and parties to accept the referendum results, regardless of the outcome.

The nation's interests must be put ahead of individual ones, Gomaa said, calling on the Egyptian people to spare the country any conflict or division.

Gomaa made the remarks, following casting his ballot Saturday in the second round of referendum on the draft constitution.

On Saturday 22 December, the second phase of the constitutional referendum begins in the remaining 17 governorates of Egypt. In the first phase, the referendum took place in 10 governorates. Initial results show a turnout of about 31 percent and a prevalence of the "yes" vote on the draft by about 56 percent.

In the second phase, 25,495,237 voters are registered to take part in the polls.