Egypt's president goes full dictator: issues a decree that prevents his decrees from being challenge
27 replies, posted
Confusing title of the month November 2012
[img]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/64318000/jpg/_64318486_hi015491229(1).jpg[/img]
[del]Still breaking, so there's very, VERY little detail. Will update with more information when the beeb do.[/del] [b]Updated 17:54 with buttloads of information[/b]
[quote=Da Beeb]Egypt's President Mohammed Mursi has issued a declaration banning challenges to his decrees, laws and decisions.
The declaration also says no court can dissolve the constituent assembly, which is drawing up a new constitution.
President Mursi also sacked the chief prosecutor and ordered the re-trial of people accused of attacking protesters when ex-President Mubarak held office.
Egyptian opposition leader Mohammed ElBaradei accused Mr Mursi of acting like a "new pharaoh".
Mr ElBaradei said the new declaration effectively placed the president above the law.
"Morsi today usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh. A major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences," the Nobel Peace Prize winner wrote on his Twitter account.
Earlier this year, Mr ElBaradei had called Egypt's political process "the stupidest transition in history".
Following the new declaration, Talaat Ibrahim will replace Abdel Maguid Mahmoud as new chief prosecutor.
Mr Mahmoud's acquittal of officers allegedly involved in attacks on protesters led to violent clashes in Tahrir Square in Cairo in October, when supporters and opponents of President Mursi clashed.
The president tried to remove Mr Mahmoud from his post by appointing him envoy to the Vatican, without giving an official reason for the switch.
But Mr Mahmoud defied the Egyptian leader and returned to work, escorted by judges and lawyers. His refusal to comply was seen as a big defeat for Mr Mursi's push to steadily consolidate power.
The new prosecutor is now tasked with re-conducting all the investigations led by Mr Mahmoud into the alleged attacks on protesters, and re-try people already acquitted in the case.
The declaration also gives the 100-member constituent assembly two additional months to draft a new constitution, to replace the one suspended after President Mubarak was overthrown.
The re-write of the constitution, which was meant to be finished by December, has been plagued by dozens of lawsuits questioning the make-up of the constituent assembly.
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20451208[/url][/quote]
[quote][b]22 November declaration[/b]
All investigations into the killing of protesters or the use of violence against them will be re-conducted. Trials of those accused will be re-held.
All constitutional declarations, laws and decrees made since Mursi assumed power cannot be appealed or cancelled by any individual, or political or governmental body.
The public prosecutor will be appointed by the president for a fixed term of four years, and must be aged at least 40.
The constituent assembly's timeline for drafting the new constitution has been extended by two months.
No judicial authority can dissolve the Constituent Assembly or the Shura Council.
The president is authorised to take any measures he sees fit in order to preserve the revolution, to preserve national unity or to safeguard national security.[/quote]
Not a good time to be living in Egypt.
What a dick
Well that escalated quickly.
Hosni Mubarak 2.0: Electric Boogaloo
wow that's not even subtle.
Wait a minute,
[quote=http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/11/22/251186.html]Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi has ordered a retrial of officials involved in protester killings during the 2011 revolution, in a highly anticipated announcement issuing constitutional amendments on Thursday night.
Among the presidential decrees made in the announcement by his spokesman, Mursi sacked the current state prosecutor Abdel Maguid Mahmoud and appointed a replacement.
Mahmoud was at the center of controversy in recent months after he refused to quit after being dismissed by Mursi.
Mursi tried to remove the veteran prosecutor after the acquittals of Hosni Mubarak-era officials on trial for a deadly attack on protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to the long-time strongman standing down.
The then decision by Mursi was an attempt to calm protesters furious about the acquittal of a number of the senior officials who had stood trial over the issue.
On Thursday night, crowds in Tahrir Square following the announcement celebrated Mursi's constitutional amendments, chanting: "The people want Abdel Maguid to be tried."
The president announced the appointment of Talaat Ibrahim Abdullah as the new state prosecutor.
"The public prosecutor general will occupy his post for a period of four years," said Yasser Ali, a presidential spokesman.
Wider powers
But the constitutional amendments, which grant Mursi far-reaching powers, is likely to inflame a standoff with the country's judiciary.
The decree protects an assembly writing the country's new constitution from dissolution and gives it extra time to finish its work.
The new constitution is a fundamental component of Egypt's transition to democracy but its drafting has been plagued by disputes, mainly pitting Islamists against their secular-minded critics.
The decree read on state TV by the presidential spokesman stipulated that the assembly could not be dissolved by the judiciary or Shoura council, Egypt's upper house of parliament.
Earlier on Thursday, Mursi said all the decisions he has taken, and will take, are in support of the goals of last years revolution. The comments, posted on his official Twitter account, come as protesters and police clashed for a fourth day in Cairo.
The state-run Ahram Gate said he had summoned the prime minister for discussions and had held an emergency meeting with the justice minister.
The announcement is “regarding a decision that has been under extensive study,” the news site added.
Drafting the current Egyptian constitution has further divided Egyptians between Islamists who want to have more of a Sharia-oriented constitutions and seculars including judges who oppose suggestions by Islamists.
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood ordered its members not to travel abroad as they might be needed to take on the streets to support “revolutionary” decisions expected to be announced by the country’s president, sources told a news agency.
The sources, who wished to remain anonymous, told Anadolu Agency Thursday that the Muslim Brotherhood is in a state of alert and expected to start marches to defend “revolutionary” decisions that were expected to be made by Mursi.
Mursi became the chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) when it was founded by the Muslim Brotherhood in 2011. He was FJP’s candidate for the May-June 2012 presidential election.
The Islamist group’s state of alert is also to counter expected violence that can destabilize the political scene and oust President Mursi and his government, the sources added.
Meanwhile, more than 72 people have been injured in central Cairo, some with bullet wounds, during clashes between police and protesters on the anniversary of lethal street violence between activists and security forces.
Activists called for the protest on Nov. 19 to put pressure on President Mursi to punish those responsible for killings and abuses during the rule of the generals who assumed power after Mubarak was toppled by the uprising in Feb. 2011.
Egypt’s Brotherhood readies for protests
The skirmishes, which extended to four days, erupted at the scene of clashes last year in which 42 people were killed during protests against the military council that ran the country before Mursi was elected in June.
Some activists said the latest bout of violence began when police forces threw rocks at protesters to try to stop them from taking down concrete barriers that have blocked off roads to the Interior Ministry since last year.
They said they had a court order allowing the barriers to be removed.
Nineteen people have been arrested during the clashes, in which protesters hurling stones and petrol bombs at police guarding the Interior Ministry were repelled with teargas.
Some protesters said that security personnel threw stones at them from the top of a school building on the second day of protest.
Some of the protesters taken to hospital were severely injured from birdshot and bullets, state news agency MENA reported.
A member of the 6th of April youth movement, Gaber Salah, was wounded with birdshot in the head, neck, chest and arms and put on life support in intensive care, MENA said.
In an address on state television on Nov.20, Prime Minister Hisham Kandil said: “We support peaceful protests ... but under all circumstances people cannot attack buildings or police because police protect our buildings and children.”
Last year’s street battles started when police pulled down the tents of protesters who had camped overnight in Tahrir Square - the heart of the uprising against Mubarak - after a demonstration against the generals.
That prompted thousands of protesters to return to the square and clashes erupted. The violence became known as the “Mohamed Mahmoud events” after the street in which they took place. The street is located off Tahrir Square.
During the protest, stones and empty bottles were hurled by demonstrators that injured 24 people, including four policemen.
Television footage of the protest showed children and teenagers, some of them carrying school backpacks, taking part. Some were shown throwing rocks at buildings. One youth was pictured using a fire extinguisher to smash a window.
Protests, which have become frequent in Egypt since Mubarak’s overthrow, often begin calmly before attracting what some democracy activists have described as delinquent youths looking for trouble.[/quote]
Completely different tone
But what if they challenge this decree that forbids challenging his decrees? :O
It's to defend democracy :downs:
Updated OP, still not a huge amount of detail but better
[QUOTE=barttool;38551950]But what if they challenge this decree that forbids challenging his decrees? :O[/QUOTE]
The pyramids implode
Weren't the courts basically trying to take apart any and all attempts to build a new government? It sounds like he's trying to keep the new constitution and parliament from being nullified by the courts.
Title is misleading
Still its obvious that Egypt needs more checks and balances so this shit doesn't happen in the future
It may not be subtle nor democratic but sounds like he's getting shit done.
i liked egypt better in 3160 bc
Added a fuckload more information to the OP including all the information about the decree
This explains why there were those riots in Egypt the other day.
This is fairly common for most emerging democracies. When Latin American countries democratized, the first few presidents did a bunch of corrupt and authoritarian things that ended up building a secure foundation for some sort of barely functional democracy.
Egypt will be fine.
the ancient pharaohs are rolling in their sarcophagi
Constitutional court is considering impeaching Mursi.
[QUOTE=laserguided;38558409]Constitutional court is considering impeaching Mursi.[/QUOTE]
Considering? The fuck do you have to do to actually get them to think "Yeah he shouldn't be ruling?". You'd think making a huge power grab would set up a red flag immediately.
Assuming they even still have the power to do so. If they do and they still don't impeach them, then they're probably just as corrupt.
[QUOTE=person11;38558155]This is fairly common for most emerging democracies. When Latin American countries democratized, the first few presidents did a bunch of corrupt and authoritarian things that ended up building a secure foundation for some sort of barely functional democracy.
Egypt will be fine.[/QUOTE]
What about Iran? They did the same thing, except they actually turned into a authoritarian police state.
[QUOTE=Boba_Fett;38559133]What about Iran? They did the same thing, except they actually turned into a authoritarian police state.[/QUOTE]
The revolution in 1979 was a lot more violent than that of the Latin American democratization and more violent than the revolution that occurred in Egypt.
The situation is not the same.
To be fair they had a democracy but then the freedom loving US took it away from them and replaced it with a monarchy. All this wouldn't of happened if that never happened.
[QUOTE=laserguided;38559409]To be fair they had a democracy but then the freedom loving US took it away from them and replaced it with a monarchy. All this wouldn't of happened if that never happened.[/QUOTE]
u wot
[QUOTE=Zambies!;38551942]Wait a minute,
Completely different tone[/QUOTE]
Yeah, so which is it? Is it a corrupt grab for power, or is he trying to ensure members of the previous regime get brought to justice while ensuring a constitution is written?
[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;38551907]Hosni Mubarak 2.0: Electric Boogaloo[/QUOTE]
Dude Hosni was way better than this prick.
I would have expected this shit from Libya before.
I thought Egypt had a chance with its... kind of peaceful revolution.
Muslim brotherhood? All the liberal news media, I'm sorry to say, was talking about how they're moderates and are Egypt's best chance for progress. I'd wanted to believe that, too, but shit's been going steadily downhill.
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