Egypt referendum: President Morsy backers urge unityBy BBC | Wednesday, December 26  2012 at  09:47

Backers of President Mohammed Morsy have urged all Egyptians to work together after the adoption of a controversial new constitution.

Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie said Egyptians should "begin building our country's rebirth with free will... men, women, Muslims and Christians".

More than 60 per cent of voters backed the constitution in a referendum, although only a third of the electorate voted.

Critics say the document favours Islamists and betrays the revolution.

President Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power in February 2011 after nearly 30 years of authoritarian rule.

After the referendum result was announced on Tuesday, dozens of anti-constitution protesters blocked one of the main bridges in the capital Cairo, setting tyres alight and stopping traffic.

Parliamentary elections must now take place within two months.

The political divisions surrounding the referendum have led to economic uncertainty and a reported rush to buy US dollars.

Currency exchanges in parts of Cairo were said to have run out of dollars. Before the result was announced, the authorities declared a limit of $10,000 for travellers into and out of Egypt.

On Monday, Egypt's central bank issued a statement saying that the banks had "stable liquidity" to safeguard all deposits.

President Morsy's government will soon have to take some unpopular measures to prop up the economy, which could hurt his party at the ballot box.