Cairo
(AsiaNews) - Egypt' Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is taking
advantage of the clashes between the two presidential candidates, Mohammed
Morsy (Muslim Brotherhood) and Ahmed Shafiq (a former prime minister under
Mubarak). In a declaration, the SCAF issued a decree that limits the powers of
the future head of state and gives itself the power to choose members of the
future constituent assembly.
The
declaration was signed last night, just before polls closed, just a few days after
Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court dissolved the lower house of parliament,
effectively terminating the constituent assembly as well.
Under
its new rules, the SCAF will maintain legislative power for an undetermined
period of time; it will control over foreign aid and reserves the right to
appoint members of the constituent assembly.
New
parliamentary elections will be held only after a new constitution is adopted.
Various
political leaders have described the military's move as a "silent coup" to ensure
the SCAF stays in power.
The
6 April Youth Movement called on Egyptians to come out to protest against the
military.
For
pro-democracy leader and Nobel peace Prize laureate Mohammed el-Baradei, the
decree is a "grave setback for democracy and revolution," an affront to
the values of democracy embodied by the Jasmine Revolution.
Former
presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, who had been backed by pro-democracy
movements, described the military's declaration as a "seizure of the
future of Egypt".
The
military's decree is unconstitutional and meaningless, said Independent Islamist
Ahmed Fotouh, once viewed as a favourite for the presidency.
The
military's action marks a turning point in Egypt's post Mubarak era. It cuts
down to size the ambitions of the Muslim Brotherhood, which claims to have won
the presidential election with 52 per cent of the vote, a Pyrrhic victory for
experts.
Even
if the Brotherhood did win, the military's powers would not be touched. By dissolving
parliament, the SCAF has created mistrust in the population, as evinced by the
low turnout (under 50 per cent) in the presidential poll and the high number of
spoilt ballots.
For
many Egyptians, the Jasmine Revolution has now become a pipe dream.
