Egyptian protester calls on President Morsi to step down.
Photograph by Seifo Shawarbinoz
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has scrapped the wide ranging and controversial decree that gave him any powers to “protect the revolution” after widespread unrest and ongoing protests in Tahrir Square. A referendum on the new constitution with this decree removed, however, will continue next week as planned.
This announcement comes after the powerful Egyptian military warned that a failure to resolve this constitutional crisis and calm the protests would be disastrous for the country, saying:
Dialogue is the best and only way to reach consensus. The opposite of that will bring us to a dark tunnel that will result in catastrophe and that is something we will not allow.
The Islamist-dominated “national dialogue meeting” called by Morsi to discuss the constitutional changes recommended removing the controversial articles that granted the president powers to declare emergency laws and shield him from judicial oversight, essentially giving him the powers of a dictator.
The removal of these articles will be unlikely to slow the protests, however, with Morsi currently guarded in his compound behind barbed-wire and army protection and soon to enact a new law that would allow the Egyptian military to arrest civilians whilst protecting state premises and buildings until a constitution is passed.
Protesters blame Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood for the escalation in violence which has caused seven deaths and more than 700 injuries in the last week, whch erupted across the country after Morsi supporters attempted to forcibly disperse the sit-in at the Presidential Palace in Cairo. The protesters are calling for Morsi to step down.
