Ousted President Mohammed Morsi, center, arrives for a trial hearing in Cairo, Egypt, Nov. 4, 2013. Emerging from four months in secret detention, Egypt's deposed Islamist president defiantly rejected a court's authority to try him Monday, saying he was the country's "legitimate" leader and those that overthrew him should face charges instead. (Egyptian Interior Ministry/AP Photo)
Egypt's public security chief has warned anti-coup protesters against trying to undermine an upcoming referendum on the Arab country's draft constitution.
"Any attempt to disrupt the referendum on the constitution will be faced with firmness and decisiveness according to the law," said Chief of General Security General Sayyed Shafiq in remarks published by Egypt’s official news agency on Wednesday. "We will not permit disruption of the democratic transformation."
The military-appointed government says the referendum is scheduled to be held within a month. If approved, the new 247-article constitution will strengthen the army’s hand.
The draft constitution also includes an article forbidding the formation of religious parties or parties based on religious grounds. The ban was in force during Hosni Mubarak's 30-year dictatorship.
The article is expected to have consequences for the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party -- a party of President Mohamed Morsi, who was toppled by the army in July.
Muslim Brotherhood supporters have accused the military-backed government of having anti-democratic tendencies.
Supporters of Morsi have condemned the vote as a rubber stamp for the political order set up after a coup against their legitimate president.
Rights groups say the new charter strengthens the military and grants immunity to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).
Earlier this month, it was revealed that General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the army chief and minister of defense, had been seeking immunity for the military council for a period of five to ten years.
It has also been leaked that he asked for a media campaign to lobby for a specific clause to be included in the constitution.
The clause would allow Sisi to retain his post as defense minister in the event he loses in the presidential election.
The military representatives of the constitution-drafting committee also called for the constitution to allow the military to name the defense minister during the next two presidential terms.
The move has been widely criticized by legal experts, who say this would give the military more power than the president.
The drafting of the constitution was one of the thorniest issues during the brief term of Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected president.
Morsi and his supporters wanted an Islamic constitution for the Muslim-majority nation, but opponents argued for a secular charter.
In December 2012, about 64 percent of voters approved the constitution in a two-round referendum.
After about six months, the Egyptian army ousted Morsi, a former leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood, in a military coup.
On July 3, the Egyptian army chief announced that Morsi was no longer in office and declared that head of the Supreme Constitutional Court Adly Mahmoud Mansour had been appointed as the new interim president of Egypt. The army also suspended the constitution.
Army officials said Morsi, who took office in June 2012, was being held “preventively” by the military.
However, Morsi said on November 13 in a letter that he was kidnapped by the Republican Guard before the military formally removed him on July 3.
In the letter read out on TV by his defense lawyer Mohamed Damati, Morsi said, “The kind Egyptian people should know that I was kidnapped forcibly and against my will from July 2 to July 5 in a Republican Guard house until my aide and I were moved again forcibly to a naval base belonging to the armed forces for four full months."
He also declared himself as Egypt’s legitimate leader, describing his overthrow as a military coup and a crime.
The Muslim Brotherhood has declined to negotiate with the new administration, saying they can only hold talks after Morsi is reinstated as president. They argue that the only legitimate constitution is the one voted on and ratified in December.
GJH/AS/MHB
Post a Comment