Egyptian Prez. Morsi declares expanded powers

[Razor]

Morsi declares expanded powers, bans breakup of assembly penning constitution

The Egyptian president has issued a constitutional declaration protecting Egypt's constitution-drafting assembly from dissolution, and replacing the prosecutor general. It also rules that none of the executive's decisions can be overturned.
Morsi gave the Constituent Assembly a two month deadline to finish drafting a new constitution, ruling that no authority may dissolve it until the country's defining document is completed.
He further ruled that no authority may dissolve the Shura Council, the upper house of Egypt's parliament.

In a move likely to bring criticism that the Egyptian president is inappropriately expanding his powers, he also decreed that no laws or declarations passed by the president from the time of his inauguration until a new parliament is elected can be overturned by any authority, including the judiciary.
He further dismissed the country's prosecutor general Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud, appointing Talaat Ibrahim to replace him for a four-year term.
Morsi had previously attempted to remove Mahmoud for his part in the acquittal of Hosni Mubarak-era officials implicated in the killings of protesters during last year's popular revolution.

Morsi ordered the retrial of all those charged with killing or injuring protesters involved in the uprising. In addition, all Mubarak-era officials alleged to have terrorized protesters will be retried.
In light of the sweeping powers, Egyptian opposition leader Mohammed ElBaradei accused Morsi of behaving like a "new pharaoh."

The amendments come as violent street clashes between protesters and security forces in Cairo enter their fourth day. More than 72 people have been injured in the demonstrations, which kicked off on the one-year anniversary of street battles in which 42 people were killed.
Egyptian sources said that members of the Muslim Brotherhood – which founded the Freedom and Justice Party, which Morsi once chaired – have been asked not to leave the country in case they were needed to defend the president's "revolutionary" decisions.

More @ Source: RT

 

[Razor]

Egypt's Constitutional Court looking to impeach Morsi - reports

Egypt's Constitutional Court is reportedly considering the possibility of impeaching President Mohamed Morsi for violating his oath and undermining the country's constitutional foundations.
According to a representative of the court, "the judges are prepared to exercise the right to shift the head of state after he flouted the laws and constitution," local media reports.
On Thursday, Morsi made several decrees affecting the country's constitution that, he said, would safeguard Egypt's "revolutionary" future. One of the decrees suggests that no laws or declarations passed by the president from the time of his inauguration until a new parliament is elected can be overturned by any authority, including the judiciary.
Under international constitutional law, a head of state can be impeached for treason and other serious criminal offenses and for breaching the constitution.

RT

 

[Razor]

Egypt fury over Mohammed Mursi 'coup against legitimacy'

Opposition groups in Egypt have called for mass protests on Friday against President Mohammed Mursi's decree that gives him sweeping powers.

They have described his move as a "coup against legitimacy" and accused the president of appointing himself Egypt's "new pharaoh".

The decree states that the president's decisions cannot be revoked by any authority, including the judiciary.

His supporters say the move is designed to protect Egypt's revolution.

Thousands of protesters have returned to the streets around Tahrir Square over the past week demanding political reforms and the prosecution of officials blamed for killing demonstrators.

The president had tried to remove Mr Mahmoud from his post by appointing him envoy to the Vatican.

But Mr Mahmoud defied the Egyptian leader and returned to work, escorted by judges and lawyers.

New prosecutor Talaat Ibrahim is tasked with re-examining all the investigations led by Mr Mahmoud into the deaths of protesters, and re-trying people already acquitted in the case.

Mr Mursi said his decree was aimed at "cleansing state institutions" and "destroying the infrastructure of the old regime".

The declaration also gives the 100-member constituent assembly two additional months to draft a new constitution, to replace the one suspended after Mr Mubarak was overthrown.

The rewrite of the constitution, which was meant to be finished by December, has been plagued by lawsuits questioning the make-up of the constituent assembly.

Once completed, the document is due to be put to a referendum. If it is approved, legislative elections will be held two months later.

More @ Source: BBC

 

[spikey360]

The dust of the Arab Spring is yet to settle and Egypt is on the brink of another revolution in the backdrop of another dictatorship after Mubarak. Perhaps this is the flavour of life the Egyptians want, a perpetual state of upheaval. Wonder how it all ends for Egypt.

 

[pack leader]

The dust of the Arab Spring is yet to settle and Egypt is on the brink of another revolution in the backdrop of another dictatorship after Mubarak. Perhaps this is the flavour of life the Egyptians want, a perpetual state of upheaval. Wonder how it all ends for Egypt.

it ends in mass starvation Egypt cannot feed itself or buy sufficient food

we thank India and china every day for developing and making food too expensive for Arab fundamentalists

 

[drkrn]

it ends in mass starvation Egypt cannot feed itself or buy sufficient food

we thank India and china every day for developing and making food too expensive for Arab fundamentalists

india & china making food expensive for arabs... don't we have any other work

your iq stands to the level of the great american president george bush.jr

 

[Singh]

india & china making food expensive for arabs... don't we have any other work

your iq stands to the level of the great american president george bush.jr

Egypt is not rich. And iirc there was a documentary/article during Mubarak's regime which showed that Egyptians ate a very spartan diet as opposed to the lavish diet showed on state media.

 

[Rage]

It was only days ago that Mohammad Morsi was reveling in the successful Egyptian mediation of the Israeli-Gaza ceasefire.

If I remember correctly, Morsi won his mandate on a 49-51 divide and the liberal-leftist forces that opposed his victory scattered among different candidates; this will consolidate those forces and test that divide.

It looks like Morsi is taking a leaf out of Hosni Mobarak's book: make yourself helpful on the international stage and appeal to the peoples' regional aspirations on the one hand; and do whatever you want at home, on the other. I think this is a feature particularly characteristic of those muslim nations that are ambitious; you see this in Pakistan's national narrative and political history as well.

On the one hand, Morsi has consolidate his power as President and certainly acted like a 'pharaoh'; on the other hand, he has taken some really good decisions including sacking the former Prosecutor General and appointing a very capable man as the new one.

All of this violent instability in the Middle East, though, is not doing the region any good.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

How's that Arab Spring working out for you?

 

[amoy]

How's that Arab Spring working out for you?

Rebalancing? Little has changed so far.

Morsi diversifying Cairo's pro-Washington policies ahead of China visit|World|chinadaily.com.cn

Morsi, the first president of post-revolution Egypt, chose China for his debut diplomatic visit outside the Middle East since he assumed power in June.

But Morsi will also try to maintain special ties with Washington. Egypt receives at least $2 billion in aid from the United States every year, the expert said.

The Egyptian military, which receives $1.4 billion of the aid, cherishes its ties with Washington

 

[drkrn]

takes some time for them to reconstruct their country..
no need for egyptians to be unhappy,even india did pass the same phase after independence but later everything will be fine
all th best for egyptians:thumb:

 

[Singh]

takes some time for them to reconstruct their country..
no need for egyptians to be unhappy,even india did pass the same phase after independence but later everything will be fine
all th best for egyptians:thumb:

In India some of the most spectacular people were at the helm.

In Egypt, its the Islamic Brotherhood.

 

[Das ka das]

This shows that Islam is incompatible with democracy.

 

[Yusuf]

Huge protests against Mursi. I read somewhere that people even attacked the office of Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo.

 

[Razor]

No amendments to Morsi decree after meeting with top judges

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has met with the country's top judges to reassure them that last Thursday's decree granting him sweeping powers is "temporary" and limited only to "sovereignty-related issues."
According to a presidential spokesman, no amendments were made to the decree after the meeting, Al-Ahram newspaper reported. The talks with the Supreme Judicial Council (SNJ) come as demonstrators in Cairo continue a week-long sit-in protesting the Morsi's move to grant himself near-absolute powers, including immunity from judicial oversight.
Meanwhile the ruling Muslim Brotherhood party has announced that it has canceled a massive pro-Morsi rally to avoid "public tension."

On Sunday, the SNJ said the declaration – which shields Morsi's decisions from judicial review – must only be applied to "sovereign matters," suggesting that the council does not completely reject the decree.

The fact that Morsi said his decree will be limited only to "sovereignty-related issues" should not be seen as a concession to the judiciary, says Eric Draitser, geopolitical analyst for StopImperialism.com.

"This is mainly to placate the people who are angry and are in the streets," he told RT, stressing that despite the Muslim Brotherhood's victory in the election last year, many elements within Egypt are very much dissatisfied with the new rulers – and would prefer changes to the country's political structure.

 

[The Messiah]

He doesn't seem polished in politics.

Our netas should offer courses (and of course get paid!) to these people on how to fool the people without much hiccups.

 

[Rage]

News coming in that the Egyptian Government has deployed tanks in Cairo, in a bid to curb protests that have only expanded catastrophically in the past few hours.

 

[Razor]

Anti-Morsi protesters break through wired fences of presidential palace, injuries reported

Several guards have been injured after protesters broke through barbed wire around the presidential palace in Cairo, reports Al-Arabiya. Thousands have come to the palace to slam President Morsi's bid for absolute power.
Friday again saw thousands marching towards the presidential palace in Cairo, while hundreds others rallied in the iconic Tahrir Square. The demonstrations were called by opposition forces, which include various leftist, liberal and democratic groups.
"We want to see the fall of the regime," chanted the crowd.
The palace has grown surrounded with barbed wire fences and concrete blocks. Police, national guard troops and military are guarding the place, including the tanks brought in Thursday.
After several attempts to take down the wire, the guards reportedly retreated and some protesters managed to break in and start climbing the walls, report local media.

More @ Source: RT

 

[Razor]

Egypt crisis: President Morsi annuls decree

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has annulled a decree he issued last month that hugely expanded his powers and sparked angry protests, officials say.

However, a news conference in Cairo was told that a controversial referendum on a draft constitution would still go ahead as planned on 15 December.

Mr Morsi's critics have accused him of acting like a dictator, but he says he is safeguarding the revolution.

He said the extra powers were needed to force through reforms.

The BBC's Shaimaa Khalil in Cairo says President Morsi has made a major compromise but it is yet to be seen if it will defuse tension on the streets.

Earlier, Egypt's powerful military warned it would not allow Egypt to spiral out of control and called for talks to resolve the conflict.

"Anything other than that (dialogue) will force us into a dark tunnel with disastrous consequences; something that we won't allow," it said.

More @ Source: BBC: Egypt crisis: President Morsi annuls decree

 

[Yusuf]

Egyptian people have won this round. Congrats. Still they have to be on the guard. How the hell did this Nutjob managed to win elections in the first place