November 26, 2012, 10:37 Politics

Morsi will face the court

A teenager died in a clash between opponents and supporters of the Egyptian president; the head of state promises dialogue with the opposition

As a result of clashes between supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, a 15-year-old activist of the Muslim Brotherhood movement was killed. Morsi will try to resolve the new political crisis, which began with the promulgation of a presidential decree that made the head of state unaccountable to the judicial authorities, at a meeting with representatives of the Supreme Council of Judges.

Mass unrest in Egypt, provoked by the demarche of President Mohammed Morsi , who unilaterally altered the constitutional declaration, resumed with renewed vigor.

The first casualty of the conflict between supporters and opponents of the head of state has become known: on Sunday, dozens of people were injured during clashes north of Cairo, and a 15-year-old teenager was killed.

Violent clashes in Damanhur, 150 kilometers from the capital, erupted as crowds of protesters attempted to storm the regional headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, which brought Morsi to power in June. Demonstrators threw stones at each other and used batons and iron rods. A 15-year-old teenager died during the clashes. As local media later reported, the deceased was an activist of the Muslim Brotherhood. He was shot in the head and died on the way to the hospital.

Mursi's new constitutional declaration, published on Thursday, November 22, caused widespread discontent in the country. The document actually assigned exclusive powers to the president, mainly in the field of legislation. The leader of Egypt deprived the highest courts of the right to cancel his orders. Morsi also changed the appointment of the country's prosecutor general and banned the dissolution of the constitutional commission drafting Egypt's basic law to replace the constitution of ousted President Hosni Mubarak last year . According to the head of state, “Egypt has no other way than to get out of the vicious circle of the transition period” that has lasted more than a year and a half.

In total, during this period of clashes across the country, more than 500 people have already been injured. On Sunday evening, security forces used tear gas to disperse demonstrators near Tahrir Square in Cairo.

Opposition leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former IAEA chief Mohammed ElBaradei expressed concern that the protests could prompt the military to intervene in the situation. “I am sure that the military, like all of us, is concerned about what is happening. The possibility of the army stepping in to restore law and order cannot be ruled out. There can be no dialogue (with Morsi - Gazeta.Ru) until he cancels his orders,” ElBaradei said on Sunday.

The President once again tried to reassure the public and once again emphasized that his decree was a temporary measure. “The President emphasizes the temporary nature of these measures, aimed not at concentration of power, but at preventing attempts to undermine democratically elected authorities and maintaining the impartiality of justice,” his press service said in a statement released yesterday. The document also states that the new constitutional declaration aims to “achieve the aspirations of the Egyptian people and protect the transition to democracy.” Morsi points to "a firm commitment to involve all political forces in the country in a comprehensive national dialogue in order to achieve a common position, as well as a consensus on the constitution." However, according to local media, the document was distributed only in English to foreign journalists.

Morsi is expected to meet with representatives of the Supreme Council of Judges on Monday. As its chairman, the head of the Court of Cassation, Muhammad Mumtaz Mitwali, has already stated, the negotiations will focus on the annulment of Morsi’s decree, “which encroached on the independence of the judiciary.” The night before, Egyptian Justice Minister Ahmed Mekki offered his mediation services in negotiations between the head of state and the secular opposition, saying that he had “my own doubts” about the presidential decree.

“The situation is developing in the direction of increasing unrest,” Hassan Nafaa, a professor of political science at Cairo University, who spoke with the Qatari television channel Al Jazeera, was skeptical about attempts to establish a dialogue between the executive and judicial branches. According to him, the parties’ attempts to meet each other halfway can be welcomed, but both the president and the judiciary made only “vague” statements.

Once again, the opposition intends to express its dissatisfaction with the constitutional declaration. On Tuesday, November 27, opponents of the presidential decree will gather in Tahrir Square. In turn, the Muslim Brotherhood will hold a mass demonstration in Cairo's Abdin Square to support Morsi's decisions "made in the name of the people."