Egyptian military ousts president morsi, The leader of Egypt's military ousted President Mohammed Morsi from office and replaced him with the head of the country's constitutional court—a move the presidential palace quickly branded a "complete military coup."
The announcements capped days of political crisis that brought millions of Egyptians out to the country's streets, spurring bellicose rhetoric from Mr. Morsi's backers and Egypt's military, and sparking deadly violence. More than two years after the biggest early tremor of the Arab Spring ousted Hosni Mubarak, and a year after his elected replacement took office, masses of protesters again called for the removal of a despot and the military again took charge. The stark divide between the crowds' celebration and anger after Mr. Morsi's ouster suggests a new period of political uncertainty ahead.
In a terse televised statement Wednesday evening, Defense Secretary Gen. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi—joined by important Muslim, Coptic and opposition chiefs—announced Mr. Morsi's ouster. The head of Egypt's highest court—Adly Mansour, a judge who was named to the position only two days earlier upon the mandatory retirement of the court's previous leader—was sworn in as interim president on Thursday.
Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El Haddad said on his Twitter account that Mr. Morsi was under house arrest at the Presidential Guard's club, along with most members of the presidential team. Later, Mr. Haddad said on Twitter that Mr. Morsi had been separated from his presidential team and had been transported to the Ministry of Defense.
Mr. Mansour is tasked with leading a technocratic government that will be "inclusive of all political factions," including youth, who Gen. Al Sisi said would be "empowered" under the terms of the new government.
Gen. Al Sisi also suspended the constitution that Mr. Morsi and his Islamist allies pushed through late last year in a controversial referendum, and charged the Supreme Constitutional Court with addressing the draft law for parliamentary elections. There was no detail on when elections would be held.
The military leader—until recently a close ally of Mr. Morsi—said that a committee would be formed to amend the constitution.
Mr. Morsi's office rejected the move, but called on Egyptians to peacefully resist what it called a military coup.
The move not only thrusts Egypt's near-term future into fresh uncertainty, it also calls into question the viability of Egypt's broader transition toward democracy.
In the days leading up to this week's protests, leaders in the Muslim Brotherhood and people close to Mr. Morsi warned that the forcible ouster of Egypt's first elected president could delegitimize the country's still infant democracy and set a precedent that would put elected politicians at the whims of street movements instead of the ballot box.
The military overthrow poses a new challenge for Washington. In recent days, the White House was singled out by many protesters who claimed that it had helped install Mr. Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood government. Now, President Barack Obama's administration risks counterclaims by some Egyptian politicians and Middle East analysts that it didn't do enough to publicly condemn the military's moves against Mr. Morsi.
The State Department, just an hour before the Egyptian military's announcement of Mr. Morsi's deposing, roundly criticized the Islamist politician for a defiant Tuesday night speech in which he failed to reach out to his opponents.
President Obama on Wednesday urged the Egyptian military to quickly turn over power to a civilian government and said he ordered U.S. agencies to review assistance to the country.
"We are deeply concerned by the decision of the Egyptian Armed Forces to remove President Morsy and suspend the Egyptian constitution," President Obama said in a statement released by the White House. He said the military needs to "move quickly and responsibly to return full authority back to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible through an inclusive and transparent process, and to avoid any arbitrary arrests of President Morsy and his supporters."
The U.S. has a deep relationship with Egypt's military, which is budgeted to receive some $1.3 billion in U.S. aid this year. But congressional legislation demands the U.S. suspend assistance to allied militaries that are certified as having overthrown democratically elected governments.
"The United Kingdom does not support military intervention as a way to resolve disputes in a democratic system," Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement on the U.K. Foreign & Commonwealth Office's website. He called on Egyptians to show restraint and avoid violence as they "restore and renew" the country's democratic transition.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also appealed for calm and urged Egypt's military to quickly restore power to a civilian government.
"In their protests many Egyptians have voiced deep frustrations and legitimate concerns," Mr. Ban said in a statement through his spokesperson Wednesday. "At the same time, military interference in the affairs of any state is of concern."
"Preservation of fundamental rights, including freedom of speech and assembly remain of vital importance," Mr. Ban said.
Wednesday's developments also likely freeze any chance for the economically troubled country to cement an International Monetary Fund bailout, until an internationally-recognized government is installed.
In recent months, a handful of neighboring countries such as Qatar have been keeping Egypt's economy afloat by lending the country's central bank cash. That has bought Mr. Morsi's government time to delay implementing the politically sensitive measures the IMF has sought as a precondition before it gives Cairo a $4.8 billion credit line. In particular, the IMF had said that Egypt must raise taxes and begin phasing out fuel subsidies.
Qatar has played a singular role in providing diplomatic backing and financial support to countries in upheaval throughout the Arab world. It has also earned a reputation for supporting Islamist governments. Without Mr. Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood at the helm, Qatar's role in propping Egypt's economy may also be in doubt.
Earlier Wednesday, as the military-imposed ultimatum deadline loomed, Mr. Morsi mounted what appeared to be a last-ditch effort to remain in power—offering a plan to form a coalition government to run parliamentary elections, and forming an independent committee to address constitutional amendments and present them to the coming parliament.
That offer would be Mr. Morsi's final attempt to respond to Gen. Al Sisi's ultimatum, extended two days before as millions of Egyptians clamored for the president's ouster, to resolve his country's political impasse or risk military intervention.
On Wednesday night, after Gen. Al Sisi unveiled his road map, huge crowds poured into the streets in front of Ittihadiya Palace, Mr. Morsi's main residence. Protesters chanted "raise your head up high, you're Egyptian." Military helicopters flew overhead, dropping Egyptian flags onto crowds that were similar in size to those that greeted the 2011 ouster of Hosni Mubarak.
"I'm happy they're gone," said Eman Salem, a 25-year-old engineer, referring to the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic movement that backed Mr. Morsi's party and presidency. "They were power hungry. We're afraid they'll react violently after this news. But now the people are awake. We know the truth and we won't elect them ever again."
"We won't marginalize them; after all, they are among our families," said Abdel Hakim Said, 58, who owns a tourist business in Hurghada, an Egyptian seaside resort town, referring to the Brotherhood. "But this is it for them, politically, because the entire nation is behind Al Sisi. We expect bombings and suicide missions here and there. There are jihadis everywhere among us because they've managed to enter in the past two years."
Al Jazeera English reported that its Egyptian TV station, Al Jazeera Mubasher, was raided by security forces and taken off the air. Al Jazeera is widely considered to be a pro-Brotherhood channel. Misr 25, the Brotherhood's own channel, was also abruptly removed from the air following Gen. Al Sisi's address.
Eight people were killed in violence around the country on Wednesday night, according to MENA, the Egyptian state news agency. Four people died shortly after the military's announcement in Egypt's north coast city of Marsa Matrouh, as supporters of Mr. Morsi clashed with his opponents, according to Al Jazeera Arabic and CBC, an Egyptian privately owned satellite channel.
Security forces arrested Mohammed Badie, the Brotherhood's leader or "Supreme Guide" on Wednesday evening, as well as Saad al Katatni, the head of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, according to the state news agency. It was unclear for which charges they were facing investigation, but many Brotherhood leaders have been accused of helping detained Brotherhood leaders, including Mr. Morsi himself, escape from prison during the 2011 revolution that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak.
Prosecutors also detained at least 300 Brotherhood leaders for questioning, according to Al Ahram, Egypt's flagship state-run newspaper, citing a "security source" at the security directorate in Giza Governorate, a suburb of Cairo.
In the main square of the Cairo suburb of Nasr City, Abdullah Khatab, a member of the economic committee of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, spoke through tears.
We are not going to leave Raba'a Al Adawiya Square," he said. "All of the Egyptians will be in the streets tomorrow. This will not be completed! We are in the streets, all of the Egyptians will be in the streets until our president comes to power. This is the only option. Everyone here knows this."
Mr. Khatab, an economist and one of the primary negotiators for the Freedom and Justice Party's talks on the $4.8 billion IMF loan to Egypt, promised to resist what he called a military coup.
"Morsi just spoke to us and he refused all of the decisions taken by the military," he said. "Morsi said his presidency will continue, and he will continue supporting him—not just in Raba'a Al Adawiya, but in every square in Egypt! We will continue!"
Several hours earlier, the square was ringed with Egyptian army troops, who had arrived in armored-personnel carriers, according to people there.
Immediately following Gen. Al Sisi's announcement on Wednesday, the head of Al Azhar, the Cairo University that is widely acknowledged as the seat of Sunni learning, the pope of Egypt's Coptic Christian minority and Mohamed ElBaradei, the leader of Egypt's main opposition group, each addressed the Egyptian public to announce their support for Gen. Al Sisi's "road map."
The road map was meant to "rectify the course of the revolution," Mr. ElBaradei said. A national reconciliation committee would be formed to overcome Egypt's social divisions, he added, though he offered no details its work. "The important thing is that early presidential elections will be held," said Mr. ElBaradei. "That was one of the main demands of the people."
As Egyptians celebrated their removal of Mr. Morsi, they also turned their eyes toward Syria. Many in the cheering crowds said that the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood party in Egypt will be a blow to Brotherhood-linked fighters in Syria, who have joined Syrian rebels fighting against Bashar al-Assad's regime. Despite such rumors, it remains unknown whether the Muslim Brotherhood has sent members of its own ranks to join that country's bloody civil war.
The military's Monday ultimatum came after millions of Egyptians flooded into the streets to demand that the Islamist president resign and call early elections. The conflict exploded into fighting on Tuesday night, when 18 people died in clashes between Mr. Morsi's supporters and his opponents outside Cairo University in the suburb of Giza, according to the spokesman of Egypt's ministry of health.
The U.S. State Department, which closed its embassy near Tahrir Square on Tuesday, warned Americans to defer travel to Egypt and advised U.S. citizens living in Egypt to depart "because of the continuing political and social unrest." The U.K.'s Foreign Secretary also advised British citizens to avoid nonessential travel to Egypt.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Egyptian military ousts president morsi
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