Egypt: Military Grants PM Extra Power

Al Jazeera English reported on Tuesday that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) will grant Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri extra powers through a constitutional amendment. Ganzouri stated that the SCAF “would issue a decree within hours to hand him presidential powers except those concerning the judiciary and armed forces.” This comes as Ganzouri stated that a new government would be sworn in by Wednesday, but did not announce the names of any cabinet members. He further added that he would not use violence against demonstrators saying “I will not accept any violence against Egyptian people.”

As Egyptian go to the polls for the run-off elections, Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie assured Egyptians that the Brotherhood would work in a coalition if the party wins parliamentary elections. Badie stated “we will not rule Egypt alone. Parliament will include all the colors of the rainbow that must agree on one direction, one goal.” However, some Egyptians are concerned over a political stalemate between the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis as they compete for votes in the run-off. Al-Arabiya noted that “both the Salafis and the Brotherhood are sounding lukewarm on the chances of forming a dominant Islamist bloc if they repeat their early success in subsequent voting rounds ending on Jan. 11.”