Egyptian opposition activist and former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei is led to safety on Saturday as hundreds hurled stones and shoes at him as he went to cast his ballot in Cairo in a referendum. [Photo/Agencies]

CAIRO - Millions of Egyptians were joyfully waiting for hours on Saturday to cast their ballots on a package of constitutional changes eliminating restrictions on political rights and civil liberties.

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Young people traded mobile-phone pictures of ink-stained fingers that showed they voted. Others called relatives to boast of casting the first vote of their lives. In the well-off Cairo neighborhood of Maadi, a man hoisted his elderly, infirm father on his shoulder and carried him to a polling station.

"My vote today will make a difference. It's as simple as that," said Hossam Bishay, 48.

Many were drawn to the polls in a massive, last-minute effort by the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that is Egypt's largest and most coherent political organization after the National Democratic Party (NDP) of former president Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted last month in a national popular uprising.

Among other changes, the constitutional amendments would open elections to independent candidates, allowing parliamentary and presidential elections to replace the caretaker military government by early 2012.

Critics say that would allow the Brotherhood and NDP to easily outpoll the dozens of political groups born out of the anti-Mubarak uprising, dividing power between former government loyalists and supporters of a fundamentalist state - a nightmare scenario for both Western powers and many inside Egypt.

Among those most fearful of the Brotherhood's rising power are Egypt's estimated 8 million Coptic Christians, whose leaders rallied the faithful to vote "no".

"If the Brotherhood comes to power, they will not benefit anyone, Muslims or Christians," Fawziya Lamie, a 39-year-old nanny, said after casting her "no" vote in the Cairo district of Manial.

The NDP is blamed for the rampant corruption and the fraud, and its members have been accused of attempting to disrupt Egypt's transition for fear of losing further power.

Reform campaigner Mohamed ElBaradei and a group of his supporters were pelted with rocks, bottles and cans outside a polling center at Cairo's Mokattam district in an attack he blamed on followers of the old government.

The day was otherwise almost entirely peaceful. The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement said it expected the turnout to reach 50 percent.

Hundreds of Egyptians formed lines outside polling centers before they opened. They snaked along the streets in Cairo and other cities, with men and women standing in separate lines.

"This is a historic day for Egypt," Deputy Prime Minister Yahya al-Gamal said after casting his vote in Cairo. "I had never seen such large numbers of voters in Egypt. Finally, the people of Egypt have come to realize that their vote counts."

While Mubarak's overthrow has left many Egyptians euphoric, many are also worried about the social tensions and instability that could spiral in the wake of the leader's departure.

Christian-Muslim clashes this month left at least 13 killed and more than 100 wounded in the worst sectarian clashes in years.

Associated Press