Jun 19 2012 |
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Power struggle pushes Egypt to the brink
Tuesday, Jun 19, 2012
Cairo: Egyptians Tuesday staged protests in Cairo against ‘military rulers’ bid to expand their powers’, while ex-prime minister Ahmad Shafiq’s camp declared him the winner, setting the stage for new confrontations in the troubled country.
Protesters, waving the Egyptian flags, chanted “down with the military” in Tahrir Square, a focal point for a popular revolt that removed Hosni Mubarak from power in February last year.
“Oh Tantawi (the military ruler) we have elected a president from the square,” shouted other demonstrators carrying photos of the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Mohammad Mursi who claimed to have won presidential polls.
The rival claims carry the potential for a new chapter of unrest at a time when opposition already is growing against a “constitutional declaration” announced by the military on Sunday which robbed the next president of many powers and gave the generals legislative powers as well as control over the process of drafting a constitution.
“Gen. Ahmad Shafiq is the next president of Egypt,” said Sarhan. He said Shafiq won some 500,000 votes more than Mursi. The official result of the two-day, weekend vote will be announced on Thursday.
“Possibilities for a confrontation between the military council and the Brotherhood are getting stronger,” said Sobhi Assalia, an expert at the state-run Al Ahram Centre of Strategic Studies. “With the Brotherhood’s Mursi poised to be Egypt’s president, he will have no real role in running the country now that the presidential powers have been diminished. He will be a mere facade to which all failures will be attributed,” he added.
By Ramadan Al Sherbini Correspondent
© Gulf News 2012. All rights reserved.
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