Daily Alert Archives

Who Will Rule Egypt?

(Jerusalem Post) Zvi Mazel - Mohamed Morsi, the newly elected Egyptian president from the Muslim Brotherhood, is waging an all-out war against the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has severely curtailed his executive prerogatives. Though the generals did transfer power to the president in an impressive ceremony, they don't intend to let him rule alone and are mustering their considerable political and economic forces to fight what they see as an Islamic takeover of the country. Even before the results of the election had been announced, the Muslim Brothers lost their stronghold in parliament, where they and the Salafis held three-quarters of the seats. Then SCAF published a constitutional declaration granting the generals not only legislative powers but effective control on drafting the constitution, preparing the budget and all military matters. Morsi retains the right to name the prime minister and the ministers; he can issue presidential decrees; and that's about it. This is an intolerable situation for the Brotherhood after 84 years of bitter fighting. They will not easily accept the stripping away of their hard-won gains; while they are currently trying to get the courts on their side, they are ready to use force if necessary. The writer, a Fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, is a former ambassador to Romania, Egypt and Sweden.
2012-07-27 00:00:00
Full Article