Egyptian President Decrees Return of Parliament

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has ordered that the country?s Parliament, disbanded by military degree on June 16, be reconvened. It is a move sure to lead to a confrontation between Morsi and the generals who had formally handed over power to him on June 30.

Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood party, also decreed that new parliamentary elections be held within 60 days of the adoption of a new Egyptian constitution.

Commentators say that it is not clear if Morsi, as president, has the power to reconvene the Parliament.

The Guardian described Morsi?s decree as a ?surprise? that ?may have been inspired in large part by a desire to assert his authority in the face of the military,? with which the Muslim Brotherhood has a longstanding enmity. But Morsi?s move can also be seen as ?contradictory,? said the BBC?s Jon Leyne, as the new elections are ?exactly what the military have promised, and most commentators believe the Brotherhood would?lose seats in parliament as a result.?

On June 16, the eve of Egypt?s first presidential election after thirty years under Hosni Mubarak?s authoritarian rule, the Supreme Constitutional Court dissolved Parliament, which had only been elected in January and which contained a majority of Islamists, representing the Muslim Brotherhood and the ultra-conservative Salafists. The military?s dissolution of Parliament has been seen as an attempt to challenge the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists.

The Court?s ?constitutional declaration? also stripped Morsi?s presidential office of many of its powers, granted legislative powers to the military, put the military in control of drafting a new constitution and granted it immunity from any civilian oversight.

Earlier on Sunday, Morsi was invited by President Barack Obama to visit the US in September, a sign of what the New York Times called ?the ties Washington is cultivating with the region?s Islamists.? Morsi will be attending the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Deputy Secretary of State William Burns had not mentioned Morsi?s visit at an earlier news conference. He did say that the US has said it will support Egypt?s economy, which has far from recovered from the turmoil after last year?s revolution. With reference to Egypt saying it will continue to honor the peace treaty with Israel, Burns said that ?We have taken careful note and appreciated President Morsi?s public statements about a commitment to international obligations, and we certainly attach great importance to Egypt?s continuing role as a force for peace.?

The ?Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) held an emergency session on Sunday but?its response to Morsi?s decree is not yet clear.

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Source: http://www.care2.com/causes/egyptian-president-decrees-return-of-parliament.html

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