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Morsi defies military ruling

July 8, 2012

Egypt's new President Mohamed Morsi issued a decree on Sunday ordering the return of the country's Islamist-dominated parliament. The assembly was dissolved by the country's powerful military last month.

https://p.dw.com/p/15Tli
Mohammed Morsi delivers a speech in Cairo
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

"President Mohamed Morsi ordered the reconvening of sessions of the elected parliament," according to a presidential statement read out by Morsi's aide Yasser Ali.

"President Morsi has issued a presidential decree annulling the decision taken on June 15, 2012 to dissolve the people's assembly, and invited the chamber to convene again and to exercise its prerogatives," reported MENA, the Middle East news agency.

Morsi, a member of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, also called for new parliamentary elections to be held within 60 days of the formal adoption of a new constitution, which is not expected until later this year, and the implementation of a new law regulating parliament.

Defying the military

It is an apparent move of defiance against the military's "constitutional declaration," which gave the influential military generals legislative powers and removed much of Morsi's presidential authority.

The country's Supreme Court issued the controversial ruling last month, after claims of inaccuracies in the election process. The dissolution came just one day ahead of the second round of presidential elections that saw Islamist leader Morsi become Egypt's first democratically elected leader.

Morsi was officially handed power from the interim rulers on June 30.

Egyptian state television reports the military council is holding an emergency meeting to discuss Morsi's decree to recall parliament. The generals are meeting to "study and discuss the repercussions of President Mohamed Morsi's decision to reconvene parliament," the news agency MENA reported.

Reactions from legal experts in the country varied. Cairo University constitutional law professor Tharwat Badawi said Morsi's decree was "within the president's powers given that he is now the only elected authority," reported Egypt's state-run newspaper Al Ahram. Mohammed al-Dhahabi, another constitutional law professor called the decree "a legal catastrophe and violation of legal and constitutional principles."

The Muslim Brotherhood party holds nearly half the seats within the legislature, which was elected into office earlier this year.

Morsi to visit US

United States President Barack Obama will meet with Morsi at the UN General Assembly in New York in September, a US official told the AFP news agency on Sunday.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to visit Egypt on July 14.

jlw/slk (Reuters, dpa, AP)