Egyptian Supreme Court Decision Sparks Protests
Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images
Thousands protested in Cairo Tuesday following the Supreme Court’s ruling effectively redissolving parliament. The ruling froze President Mohammed Morsi‘s weekend decree which briefly brought parliament back in session Tuesday. Many had gathered prior to the ruling in a march of solidarity with the President’s decision, only to learn that the order had been suspended. President Morsi’s lawyers criticized the decision as merely political, and Muslim Brotherhood lawyer Abdel-Moneim Abdel-Maqsoud said they have filed a lawsuit calling for the judges to be replaced. The legal community remains divided, with some questioning if executive decrees fall within the mandate of a constitutional court. Secretary Hilary Clinton, who is slated to visit Cairo at the end of the month, expressed concern for the development and called on all parties to engage in dialogue.
Meanwhile, President Morsi is traveling en route to Saudi Arabia on his first official visit outside of Egypt. Morsi will meet with King Abdullah where Egyptian-Iranian relations are reported to be a main focus of discussions. Tunisian President Moncef al-Marzouki will also meet with Morsi on Friday in Cairo. The two will discuss ways to improve bilateral relations in what will be the first presidential meeting between the two countries since the start of the Arab Spring.
Also, Robert Fisk writes how yesterday’s reconvening of parliament is proof of a decline in tensions between Morsi and the military, and not an increase as many analysts have argued. Fisk points to mirrored language in the legal explanations of Field Marshal Tantawi decision dissolving parliament, and President Morsi’s decree not long after ordering its reinstatement.
July 11, 2012
1 comments
Category: Egypt, Featured, Muslim Brotherhood, Parliament, Political transition, Protests
I’ve read Fisk’s article with great bemusement. Fisk proved to be completely misinformed. Egyptians elected an overwhelmingly Islamist parliament not because “they preferred Islamist members of parliament to non-Islamist ones” but unfortunately with 40% illiteracy and poverty, they sold their voice for a bottle of oil, and the “vote for us you go to heaven, vote for them you go to hell” slogan, hardly counts for fair elections.
The constitutional court ruled that the parliamentary election laws where unconstitutional and that parliament was illegal from the day it was elected and should be dissolved by the power of the law, and that this ruling is binding to all state powers, not needing any further action. The majority of Egyptians were rejoicing. Whether that ruling was politically motivated or not, is not the point.
The presidential decree to overturn that ruling and reinstate parliament was condemned by all respected legal and constitutional experts, except a few MB ones for obvious reasons, many calling it a black day for constitutionality in Egypt. All liberal parties rightfully boycotted the parliament sitting yesterday, considering it to be illegal, they should be commended for standing on the side of the law.
Tantawi’s response came hours after Morsi’s decree not before as Fisk claims. You could feel the tension in the air. Now the constitutional court headed by “a good guy, known for his probity and anti-élitism” has ruled to stop the presidential decree.