Is Egypt heading for a faceoff among the president, army and judiciary?

11 July, 2012

Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi reconvened the lower chamber of parliament on Tuesday for a short duration, by revoking a decision by the army generals to dissolve it. Speculations are rife that the move by Morsi may result in a face-off between the president, military and judiciary.

ON TUESDAY, the Egypt's parliament was convened by President Morsi despite the earlier order of it being dissolved by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. But the speaker of the parliament, Saad el-Katatni, held that meeting of the lawmakers was not contemptuous of the judiciary; rather it was a revocation of an order issued by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces by the president of the country. It is learnt that judiciary has made it clear to Morsi that decision to recall parliament had no legal basis.

Many political analysts feel that the Muslim Brotherhood's new stance and president Morsi's decision are likely to create a legal chaos as it was against the agreed ‘transition roadmap’ by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the Muslim Brotherhood.

The agreed roadmap enshrined that the president and the parliament be elected first followed by the process of drafting of the constitution. But now, the Muslim Brotherhood is insisting on a demand for drafting the constitution first and holding the parliamentary election thereafter.

Meanwhile, thousands of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood have gathered at Cairo's Tahrir Square with Morsi's portraits demanding that country's constitution should be drafted first.