Morsi cancels executive immunity decree

Get short URL email story to a friendprint version Published: 09 December, 2012, 00:18 TAGS: Protest, Politics, Opposition, Police, Egypt, Army TRENDS: Egypt unrest Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi. (Reuters) The Egyptian president has scrapped the declaration that sparked violent nationwide protests, replacing it with a text leaving his office subject to oversight. A referendum on a draft constitution, scheduled for December 15, will go ahead as planned. “There is no power that would choose to prevent the people from participating in the referendum,” said Egyptian Vice President Mahmoud Mekky. The electoral committee took made sure the referendum would be held on time, Mekky stated, adding that it could be held in several phases if the number of participating judges was insufficient. Earlier, the country's Prime Minister Hisham Qandil told local television that Morsi had ordered officials who attended a meeting with representatives of the opposition on Saturday to prepare the new text. In a statement to Al-Mihwar, an independent television channel, Qandil did not give exact details about the amendments Morsi is hoping will calm the nation, but said the new text – drafted by officials including members of the judiciary – would be finalized by late Saturday or Sunday morning. In an effort to quell the violent protests that have shaken the country for two weeks, Morsi was scheduled to meet with the opposition on Saturday. However, most of the opposition groups opted out, including the crucial National Salvation Front led by former presidential candidates Mohamed El Baradei, Hamdeen Sabbahi and Amr Moussa. This despite the country's military calling for a dialogue, while maintaining that it is its duty to protect the country. "The armed forces … realize their responsibility to preserve the higher interests of the country and to secure and protect vital targets, public institutions and the interests of innocent citizens," the military's statement read. Local media hint that Morsi might soon reimpose martial law, which had been the status quo in Egypt for six decades until the overthrow of the Hosni Mubarak government. Morsi's November 22 emergency decree and the draft constitution days later sent the country into turmoil, where at least seven people were killed and hundreds more injured in riots nationwide. With the new decree, Morsi allocated himself overwhelming powers until the approval of a new draft constitution, which set to be completed by referendum on December 15 ============= Morsi: ‘I won’t tolerate anyone working to overthrow a legitimate government’ Get short URL email story to a friendprint version Published: 07 December, 2012, 00:26 Edited: 07 December, 2012, 07:49 TAGS: Conflict, Law, Opposition, Egypt, Clashes, Violence An image grab taken from Egyptian state TV shows Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi as he gives an address in Cairo on December 6, 2012.(AFP Photo / Egyptian TV) (22.5Mb) embed video The Egyptian president has addressed the nation, accusing the foreign-funded opposition of trying to incite violence against his legitimacy. Following the speech, hundreds of protesters stormed and torched the Muslim Brotherhood's Cairo HQ. ­The president’s speech, which was aimed at restoring stability in the country, has ignited a new escalation in violence. Several thousand anti-government protesters have stormed the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, breaking windows and furniture and setting the building on fire. Protesters also reportedly torched, stormed and looted several Cairo offices of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. Police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, who responded with stones and Molotov cocktails. While tensions remain high, additional security personnel were deployed to the epicenter of the clashes. Unknown men attack the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarter and try to to set it on fire on December 6, 2012.(Reuters / Stringer) ­“I separate the legitimate opposition from the vandals who committed violence,” Morsi told the nation. “The opposition thinks Article 6 is a problem. I won’t insist on keeping it, and anyway, the decree ends after the referendum.” ­Morsi said he will form a new assembly to write the constitution if the current draft is rejected by the referendum. Morsi mourned those who died in front of the presidential palace, saying his "heart is bleeding for the loss of innocent lives." "I feel responsible for the riots in Egypt," he said. "My fellow citizens are one body that cannot be separated or torn apart." Riot police form a line as protesters against Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi storm the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Cairo December 6, 2012.(Reuters / Stringer) The Egyptian president also attacked those who he says are serving the remnants of the Mubarak regime and trying to bring down the government. He said the reason behind the constitutional declaration was to protect Egypt from such conspiracies. “These people became rich through the ex-regime and are now spending their fortunes to burn our homeland,”Morsi said, claiming that some of those arrested during the clashes outside the presidential palace have links with opposition parties, while others were paid to add heat to the conflict. “The ex-regime will not come back again, ever,” Morsi stated. The president has called for a Saturday meeting with the opposition to defuse the crisis, which he says can only be resolved through dialogue. However, the April 6 group, a leading Egyptian pro-democracy movement which was in the forefront of the revolt against Hosni Mubarak, has rejected Morsi's call for dialogue, saying it would continue protests against the president. Members of the Republican Guard block a road leading to the presidential palace as anti-Mursi protesters gather in front of barbed wire barricades in Cairo December 6, 2012.(Reuters / Amr Dalsh) Protesters against Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi attack the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters after starting a fire inside the compound in Cairo December 6, 2012.(Reuters / Stringer) ­Although Mohamed Morsi has promised to give up his sweeping powers after a new constitution is in place, the Egyptian president is not likely to practice what he preaches, Walid Phares, a counter-terrorism adviser to the US Congress told RT. “It is all in the book of how the Muslim Brotherhood has made statements in the beginning of the Arab spring in Egypt,” Phares explained. “For example, the Muslim Brotherhood said that they are not going to go to Tahrir square, they are going to allow the youth to go. Then they went. That they are not going to run for more than 30 per cent of the parliament. Then they ran massively. That Mr. Morsi himself said that he’s not going to run for president.” “This is called a phased strategy,” Phares added. “They move to one position, consolidate, then move to the next one. So basically once he has a referendum on the constitution there is no reason except his own to say ‘I’m not going to use this power.’” Anti-Mursi protesters shout slogans and scuffle with members of the Republican Guard in front of barricades around a road leading to the presidential palace in Cairo December 6, 2012.(Reuters / Amr Dalsh) Morsi's address follows a wave of heavy clashes beginning on Tuesday between his supporters and opponents, in which at least seven people have been killed and over 640 injured. A curfew has been introduced in Cairo after the country's military moved in tanks and armored troop carriers to quash the violence in the capital. Several tanks are guarding the presidential palace. The recent wave of street violence is the worst in Egypt following Morsi's November 22 move to vastly expand his powers. ­ Protesters against Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi gather in front of the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters after starting a fire inside the compound in Cairo December 6, 2012.(Reuters / Stringer Egypt) Riot police form a line as protesters against Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi stormed and started a fire at the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Cairo December 6, 2012.(Reuters / Stringer Egypt) ============= Morsi to relinquish expanded powers, hold referendum as planned Get short URL email story to a friendprint version Published: 09 December, 2012, 00:18 Edited: 09 December, 2012, 07:58 TAGS: Protest, Politics, Opposition, Police, Egypt, Army TRENDS: Egypt unrest Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi attends a meeting with other politicians and heads of parties at the presidential palace in Cairo December 8, 2012. (Reuters) Following a meeting with the opposition, the Egyptian president has decided to keep a constitutional referendum on schedule, but will scrap the decree that gave him sweeping powers and sparked violent nationwide protests, officials say. ­“The constitutional decree is annulled from this moment,” said Selim al-Awa, an Islamist politician acting as spokesman of the meeting, adding that the committee recommended the removal of several articles shielding Morsi from judicial oversight and granting him powers to declare emergency laws, AFP reports. The statement comes after a meeting with the opposition, called by Morsi in an effort to quell the violent protests that have shaken the country for two weeks. “There is no power that would choose to prevent the people from participating in the referendum,” said Egyptian Vice President Mahmoud Mekky. The committee made sure the referendum would be held on time, Mekky stated, adding that it could be held in several phases if the number of participating judges was insufficient. However, the majority of the discussion committee's 54 members were Islamists as most of the country's main opposition groups opted out, including the crucial National Salvation Front led by former presidential candidates Mohamed El Baradei, Hamdeen Sabbahi and Amr Moussa. The National Salvation Front considers annulling the decree a “relatively meaningless” move, and vows to escalate the opposition. “We respect that he was elected with 51.7 per cent of the vote, but 48 per cent did not vote for him,” a spokesman for the NSF told Al Jazeera. “That means that he has to compromise – he has to build a consensus.” Meanwhile, the April 6 movement has stated that all those who participated in the discussions between the Egypt’s government and the opposition on Saturday “have no power over the protesters,” Naharnet reports. While maintaining that it must protect the country, Egypt's military had called on Morsi to find a compromise with the opposition. “Anything other than that will force us into a dark tunnel with disastrous consequences; something that we won't allow,” the military's statement read. “The armed forces … realize their responsibility to preserve the higher interests of the country and to secure and protect vital targets, public institutions and the interests of innocent citizens.” Members of the Egyptian opposition against President Mohamed Morsi gather next to their tents in Cairo's Tahrir Square, on December 8, 2012. (AFP Photo / Patrick Baz) Local media hint that Morsi might soon reimpose martial law, which had been the status quo in Egypt for six decades until the overthrow of the Hosni Mubarak government. Morsi's November 22 emergency decree and the draft constitution days later sent the country into turmoil, where at least seven people were killed and hundreds more injured in riots nationwide. With the new decree, Morsi allocated himself overwhelming powers until the approval of a new draft constitution, which set to be completed by referendum on December 15. ­Morsi has resource to 'crush' opposition ­The situation in Egypt will remain dangerous, as the opposition will try to avoid the constitutional vote scheduled for next Saturday at any cost, Lawrence Davidson, a professor of Middle East history at Westchester University, told RT. "I don't think that the Brotherhood, the Salafis and the rest of the Islamic population in Egypt – which makes up the majority – will stand against being pushed out. So it is a very, very dangerous situation. It is potentially very violent situation. I do not think the army is going to keep them out, therefore I think the ball is in the opposition's court." The opposition wants to rewrite the revolution and hold new elections to get rid of Morsi altogether, Davidson says. "Essentially they want new elections, and they want a new constituent assembly and a new constitution. And they are trying to force that on Morsi, and he is trying to figure out a way to avoid that." But the danger lies, the professor says, in the fact that the opposition only represents a minority – and the president has the power to force the new constitution through. "I don't think the opposition understands that they are in fact a minority, not the majority. I think, he [Morsi] thinks that if the vote goes ahead, he could marshall his forces and have the constitution passed. And I think the opposition knows that he can do that, therefore they want to stop that vote," Davidson explained, adding "he does have the resources to crush them if he wanted." An Egyptian woman visits an installation made of political art and slogans in Cairo's Tahrir Square, on December 8, 2012. (AFP Photo / Patrick Baz) ==============