Egypt: Army to suspend constitution, legislature

[David__77]

Source: Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's state news agency says the military has drawn up a plan to suspend the Islamist-backed constitution, dissolve the Islamist-dominated legislature, and set up an interim administration if President Mohammed Morsi fails to reach a solution with his opponents.

The agency's report Tuesday provides the first details of the road map the military has said it will implement if a deadline it set for Wednesday runs out with no solution.

A retired army general with close ties to the military confirmed the report.

...

Read more: http://www.westport-news.com/news/world/article/Egypt-Army-to-suspend-constitution-legislature-4641936.php

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. There's a word for this: coup d'etat.

If I may quote those astute political analysts, The Who: "Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss."

[Scootaloo]

3. No, no, no. Coups d'etat only happen against people we like!

Since we don't like Morsi, this would be an "intervention."

[pampango]

8. Egypt: Fundamentalist Morsi Defies both Protesters & Military Ultimatum, says Obama Backs Him

Then at 2 am Tuesday, President Morsi came on t.v. and rejected the military communique, saying that the president had not been consulted before it was issued and implying that it was an officers’ rebellion against the authority of the elected president.

Morsi also quoted a conversation he had Monday with President Obama, saying the president assured him that he was committed to the elected, legitimate government (i.e. Morsi). But Obama appears instead to have said that he is committed to the democratic process in Egypt but not siding with any particular party or group. That is, Morsi misrepresented Obama’s call as support for himself. In defying the military ultimatum, the Muslim Brotherhood appears convinced that the US would not permit the officers to make a coup, and that the officers would not dare do so without a US green light. US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey called Brig. Gen. al-Sisi on Monday, but we do not know the substance of the call.

Morsi’s misrepresentation of Obama will inflame anti-American opinion further in Egypt, where the opposition generally believes that the US is imposing the Muslim Brotherhood on Egypt for its own nefarious reasons. This impression has been fanned by statements of US ambassador Anne Patterson discouraging the youth from holding the June 30 protest and supporting the elected president. In fact, the US as a status quo power typically deals with the elected government in power. It is true that the Bush administration had treated the Muslim Brotherhood as taboo, but it is not clear that that kind of ostrich policy was a good thing.

http://www.juancole.com/2013/07/fundamentalist-protesters-ultimatum.html

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. Remeember the military got involved the last time

there were uprisings.
But the people got cheated when Morsi finally was installed, and they fulfilled their promise to take to the streets again.
In Egypt's case, the military has actually supported the protesters.

[hrmjustin]

2. I guess the military does not like the new boss.

[starroute]

5. The military doesn't like the prospect of Egypt dissolving into chaos

I don't think they have anything in particular against Morsi or would have felt a need to move against him if he hadn't driven Egypt to the brink of civil war.

Think of Morsi as the Scott Walker of the Middle East -- a flat failure on economic issues while pushing divisive social policies. Then add in extreme poverty and regional instability. And note the fact that Egypt's first democratic elections have put power in the hands of a group that promised to govern as moderate conservatives and have been anything but, which runs the risk of giving democracy itself a bad name.

I believe the Egyptian military is alarmed with good reason, and though a military coup is not a great solution, the military stepping in just long enough to force new elections and then backing off again might be the only way out of the current logjam.

[Posteritatis]

10. Considering the old boss was the military, that's understandable. (nt)

[Baclava]

4. um, Happy Independence Day?

[Bosonic]

6. Egypt takes a Mulligan

I hope it helps, but I doubt it will.

[frontier00]

11. Lol

That shit is funny, you can't plan a coup

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Morsi calls on army to withdraw ultimatum

via tweet - see http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2013/jul/02/egypt-obama-urges-morsi-to-respond-to-protesters-live#block-51d33e53e4b01fd5ba7fbcc1 . Google translates as "# President Mohamed Morsi confirms its adherence to constitutional legality and rejects any attempt to break them and armed Adawarult pull warning and rejects any dictates Dakhlahoforeigh"

BBC new ticker puts it as: "Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi calls on army to withdraw ultimatum a day before military deadline expires "

Twitter comment on it (from the Guardian link):
"Pres. @MuhammadMorsi has just tweeted saying he's sticking to "constitutional legitimacy", asks Military to withdraw it's ultimatum."
"Morsi's "tweet" will really heat things further, also shows that it's likely the president had no other communication option but to "tweet.""
"Interesting how Morsy's tweet calls for rejecting both internal and "foreign" dictates - jab at the United States?"

(I presume that last untranslated word was 'internal and foreign')

[Baclava]

12. "Egypt's Morsi says he will not step down" - I smell a bloodbath

here we go....

The Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, has said he will not step down as demanded by millions of protesters, vowing to protect his "constitutional legitimacy" with his life.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/07/20137222343142718.html