Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy's decree giving him a host of new
powers has divided society, but it has also unified opposition groups
that fear any moves toward Islamic rule, analysts say. FULL STORY
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MORSY TO MEET JUDGES
(CNN) -- Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy's decree last week giving him a host of new powers
has divided society, but it has also unified opposition groups that
fear any moves toward Islamic rule, critics and observers said Sunday.
Morsy edict divides Egypt but unifies opponents, critics and observers say
November 26, 2012 -- Updated 1639 GMT (0039 HKT)
Egypt's Morsy praised, now protested
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Critics call Morsy a dictator acting in Mubarak's footsteps
- Morsy declared last week no court can overturn his decisions
- Experts say it is dividing society, but unifying his opponents
- They say his moves are intended to strengthen Islamists
Morsy assures his people
that his moves are only temporary and intended to clear the political
obstacles posed by remnants of the old regime. An order banning courts
from overturning any decisions he has made or will make in the next six
months, Morsy says, will last only until a new constitution is put
together.
His critics, however, say Morsy has made himself into a dictator -- and that dictators can't be trusted.
"We, as citizens, no
longer have safeguards for our freedoms and rights," Amr Hamzawy, a
former member of parliament and a member of Egypt's Freedom Party, told
CNN on Sunday.
Egyptians protest over presidential powers
Anger over Morsy power grab
Egyptian protesters battle police
Walking through the Cairo protests
Even if Morsy stays true
to his word and rescinds the decree after the constitution is finalized,
he will have managed to consolidate more power, said Eric Trager, a
fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
"By the time you get that
new constitution, it will have been written by an Islamist-dominated
assembly that all non-Islamists have completely abandoned, and the new
parliamentary elections will likely exclude members of the former ruling
party who posed the greatest threat to his authority," Trager told CNN.
Morsy also ordered new
trials and new investigations involving the deaths of protesters during
last year's pro-democracy uprising, which Trager said will "very
clearly" be used to go after major figures from the former ruling party.
Some of them are in fact corrupt, he said, but others may not have
been.
Cabinet Chief Mohamed
Refa'a al-Tahtawi told CNN on Friday that the majority of Egyptians were
eager to see Morsy act with a strong hand to forge progress in a
government he says is impeded by former regime members.
Peter Jones, a Middle
East expert at the University of Ottawa, says it's true that many
Egyptians are frustrated with the lack of progress, but opponents feel
Morsy's actions are not the answer.
"It's not that the
changes that Morsy is making are necessarily unpopular," Jones told CNN.
"It's the way he's doing it that has gotten people upset, because it
reminds them of the way Mubarak used to govern."
One popular slogan during protests last week, The Independent newspaper said, was "Morsy is Mubarak."
"I don't want another
dictator," Cairo resident and CNN iReporter Ahmed Raafat said after
demonstrating in Tahrir Square. "I protested against Mubarak and the
military council because they were dictators, so I will continue
protesting against Morsy if it keeps him from following their
footsteps."
Hamzawy and others say
Morsy has created a deeply polarized society and forestalled a national
dialogue on the next political steps.
At the same time, Trager says, Morsy's actions have also unified his opponents.
"The non-Islamists had
previously been divided between leftists, Nasrists, socialists,
communists, Christians, liberals, and by seizing executive power and
trashing the judicial oversight so brazenly, Morsy has enabled them to
paper over their other divisions."
Experts say it's
possible that in issuing his edicts Thursday, Morsy was trying to build
on the international acclaim he garnered for helping to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas a day earlier.
"He's been considering
this sort of thing for a while, I expect," Jones said, referring to the
edicts. "But given his role in Gaza ... I think he thought this would be
a good time to act."
Trager agreed that Morsy
may have tried to use the good will he received after the Gaza crisis
to his advantage, "but really, I think domestic factors and a desire to
consolidate the Muslim Brotherhood's power were the primary catalyst."
After Morsy's
announcement, protesters focused their fury on the offices of the Muslim
Brotherhood, the Islamist movement that has become Egypt's leading
political force after being banned under Mubarak. The group has rallied
in support of Morsy, its former leader.
Protesters attacked Muslim Brotherhood offices in several cities Friday.
"No transition will hold
if Egypt becomes more polarized," wrote The Guardian newspaper Friday.
"Mr. Morsy still needs a consensus to govern." Copy http://edition.cnn.com
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