Morsi Reinstates Dissolved Parliament
Photo Credit: Reuters
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi issued a decree ordering Egypt’s dissolved parliament to reconvene until a new parliament can be elected, which the decree states will be 60 days after the ratification of a new constitution. The executive order is being seen as a direct challenge by Morsi to Egypt’s generals who dissolved the assembly last month, setting the stage for a clash over ambiguously defined executive powers.
Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns visited Cairo where he met with President Morsi, as well as other politicians, civil society members, and businesspeople. Burns extended his congratulations to Morsi, and highlighted the U.S.’s commitment to supporting Egypt’s economic recovery. Calling the restoration of parliament “critical,” Burns also underscored the need for an inclusive government, particularly in drafting the constitution and creating the Morsi’s cabinet. Burn’s trip is intended to lay the groundwork for a visit by Secretary Clinton later in July.
President Obama has invited President Morsi to visit the United States in September during a U.N. General Assembly meeting. Meanwhile, this Wednesday Morsi will make his first official trip outside of Egypt to Saudi Arabia where he will meet with King Abdullah and also perform the Umrah, a lesser Islamic pilgrimage. Morsi has also pledged to attend the African Union summit next week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. No Egyptian president has attended the summit since an assassination attempt was made on Hosni Mubarak there in 1995.
July 8, 2012
1 comments
Category: Diplomacy, Egypt, Featured, Political transition, US foreign policy
The US administration is losing credibility fast with the Egyptian liberals. Total failure in reading the situation. This decree to reinstate parliament is a direct challenge to the law and the constitutional court, and is being condemned by all credible legal experts, public figures and civil society.
The constitutional court ruled that the election law is unconstitutional and that parliament is illegal from the day it was elected and should be dissolved by the power of the law.
The question is, are we laying the ground for the rule of law or not. How can the president have such a disregard for the law, and how can the Americans support it.
Once again, Egypt is not the Muslim Brotherhood. Morsy won 13 million votes out of 51 million eligible voters, half of the 13 million sold their voice for a bottle of cooking oil.