Egyptians have voted on a new constitution, in a ballot widely seen as a referendum on the army’s decision to overthrow former President Mohamed Morsi in July last year.

The vote was largely peaceful, but at least 11 people were killed and 28 people wounded across the country during clashes between anti-coup protesters and police, according to the health ministry.

Shortly before polls opened, there was a small explosion outside the courthouse in Imbaba, a neighborhood on the west bank of Cairo. Nobody was injured in the blast, which police said was caused by a bomb left in a bag outside the court.

The violence highlighted the government's precarious grip on the most populous Arab nation, still reeling from Morsi's ouster and a bloody crackdown on his supporters.

The charter is almost certain to be approved: Every referendum in Egypt’s modern history has passed by a comfortable margin, and not a single influential political group is pushing a "no" vote.

At one polling station for women, dozens queued to cast their ballots, some waving Egyptian flags and chanting pro-military slogans.

"We must be with our police and army so that no one can terrorize us. Even if a bomb exploded in my polling station, I would vote," said Salwa Abdel Fattah, a 50-year-old gynecologist.

In interviews at a half-dozen polling stations across Cairo on Tuesday, not a single voter said they opposed the constitution.

Only a few voters said they would endorse the charter because of specific provisions; instead, most wanted to show their support for General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the popular defense minister who led Morsi’s ouster on July 3.

"He will unite the nation," said Umm Mostafa, a housewife in Agouza, a working-class district. “Muslims, Christians, we all drink from the Nile. We need a strong man to protect the nation and end the strife.”

The atmosphere at many polling stations was festive, with women dancing and loudspeakers playing Teslam el-Ayadi, a pro-army song that has become popular since the military-orchestrated coup.

Sisi himself made an appearance at one polling station in the Heliopolis neighborhood of the capital, Cairo, where he was received with cheers and kisses.

"Work hard. We need the referendum to be completely secured," he told soldiers guarding the school.

Hisham Farid, a businessman leaving his polling station in Mohandiseen said: "Enough. After the last three years, enough. The nation can't continue like this.”

“We need a government that can work on security and the economy. This constitution is good, it is civilian, it is for all Egyptians, not just for the Brotherhood.”

Less than an hour later, dozens of voters were lined up at a polling station around the corner, all of them planning to vote "yes".

However, an Islamist coalition led by the former president's Muslim Brotherhood had urged protests and a boycott of the two-day vote.

PHOTO CAPTION

Commander of the Egyptian army Special Forces Medhat el-Nahas, right, speaks to a solider as he visits polling stations in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014.

Aljazeera