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| Africa North | |
| Egypt's Morsi promises democracy as protests rage | |
| 2012-11-25 | |
| [Dawn] President Mohamed Morsi insisted on Friday that Egypt is on the path to "freedom and democracy" after granting himself sweeping powers, which sparked festivities between his supporters and foes and raised concerns abroad. "Political stability, social stability and economic stability are what I want and that is what I am working for," he told a gathering of fellow outside the presidential palace. Morsi opponents began a one-week sit-in in Tahrir Square -- the symbolic heart of protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... last year -- and called for a mass protest on Tuesday. Clashes erupted between police and protesters near the square, with demonstrators setting fire to a police truck, witnesses said. And violent confrontations erupted between Morsi supporters and foes in the canal city of Suez and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, where protesters ransacked the offices of the Moslem Brüderbund, from which the president was elected in June. Under a declaration read out on television on Thursday, the president "can issue any decision or measure to protect the revolution... The constitutional declarations, decisions and laws issued by the president are final and not subject to appeal." The move is a blow to the pro-democracy movement that ousted Mubarak, and sparked fears that people will be further ensconced in power. It also raised international concerns, with the United States calling for calm and urging all parties to work together. "The decisions and declarations announced on November 22 raise concerns for many Egyptians and for the international community," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. "One of the aspirations of the revolution was to ensure that power would not be overly concentrated in the hands of any one person or institution," her statement added. In Brussels, a front man for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said "it is of utmost importance that the democratic process be completed in accordance with the commitments undertaken by the Egyptian leadership." Rights watchdog
"The people support the president's decisions," the crowd chanted. On Thursday, Morsi undercut a hostile judiciary -- which had been considering whether to scrap an Islamist-dominated panel drawing up a new constitution -- and stripped judges of the right to rule on the case or to challenge his decrees. The decision effectively places the president above judicial oversight until a new constitution is ratified. | |
| Posted by:Fred |