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Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-egypt-morsi-20121207,0,2119116.story
Pressure Grows on Morsi to Stem Powers as Tanks Surround Egypt's Presidential Palace
(Los Angeles Times) Jeffrey Fleishman - With tanks guarding his palace and officials defecting from his government, besieged Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Thursday refused to cancel a Dec. 15 vote on a draft constitution written by an Islamist-dominated assembly that has ignited two weeks of political unrest. Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood is expected to turn out enough voters to pass the referendum. Yet pressure around the president was growing. Six senior advisors and three other officials have resigned from his government. The country's leading Islamic institution, Al Azhar University, called on him to stem his powers. Islamists who wrote the proposed constitution included an article that requires lawmakers to consult Al Azhar on matters pertaining to Islamic law. With barricades, barbed wire and military vehicles surrounding it, the presidential palace on Thursday looked similar to the way it did during last year's uprising. The military said it would protect the palace, but "the armed forces, and at the forefront of them the Republican Guard, will not be used as a tool to oppress the demonstrators," said Gen. Mohamed Zaki.