Egyptian president reinstates dissolved parliament

Deutsche Welle, 8 July 20112

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.

"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)

Related Articles:

Egypt's Morsi defies court ruling to reinstate assembly

Mohamed Morsi to pick woman and Christian as Egypt's vice-presidents

Islamist Morsi Wins Egypt Presidential Vote

"Healing the Military Energies in our family Tree" – Jun 13, 2011 (Kryon channelled by David Brown)
“ … There’s much violence and anger throughout the world; when we look at the Middle East, we can see that changes are coming there. The West has a lot of power over the Middle East, but that power will begin to dissolve. The Muslim people of this world will begin to have their own power, and their own prosperity, and they will begin to disconnect from the Western World. This disconnection doesn’t have to be violent as violence only happens when somebody hangs onto what doesn’t belong to them....

... What Military Energy means if we use an analogy: it would be like putting grinding paste into the oil of your motor car. Once you release these energies you will begin to feel lighter as you disconnect from this reality, and, you will find it easier and easier to release any other negative emotions. Military Energies are the core of all your problems...."


How eyepatches became a symbol of Egypt's revolution

Graffiti depicting a high ranking army officer with an eye patch 

Photograph: Nasser Nasser/ASSOCIATED PRESS