Egypt's generals meet on recall of parliament

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-EXCITE

CAIRO (AP) - Egypt's official news agency says the country's top generals are holding an "emergency meeting" to discuss the surprise decision by the president to recall the dissolved, Islamist-dominated parliament.

Last month, the then-ruling generals ordered the legislature dissolved following a ruling by Egypt's highest court that a third of the parliament's members were illegally elected.

The Middle East News Agency said the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that comprises top military chiefs was meeting Sunday to "review and discuss the consequences" of President Mohammed Morsi's decision earlier the same day. An Islamist, Morsi is Egypt's first democratically elected president.

The generals took over from Hosni Mubarak when he stepped down nearly 17 months ago after a popular uprising. They formally handed over power to Morsi on June 30.




Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20120708/D9VSS4H81.html

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In this Monday, Jan. 23, 2012 file photo, a general view of the first Egyptian parliament session after the revolution that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak, in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt’s official news agency says President Mohammed Morsi has ordered the return of the country’s Islamist-dominated parliament that was dissolved by the powerful military. (AP Photo/Asmaa Waguih,Pool, File)

[riderinthestorm]

1. Widespread fraud and vote rigging allegations by the MB in the parliamentary elections

has severely tainted this parliament. Mursi's desire for this parliament to be recalled is problematic for the Egyptian people imho who deserve to have a chance at a fairly elected government.

Mursi is also treading on thin ice since this military is not coup-averse.

[David__77]

2. There is no clear evidence of fraud. And, if there was fraud: in which direction?

Maybe the salafists got an even bigger share of the vote. Egypt has the task before it of writing a new constitution. The two actual choices for drafting this are: the elected parliament, or some unelected group. In two elections, the majority of Egyptians chose the MB coalition - it would seem to say something.

[joshcryer]

5. Those elections were dang clean, imo. The allegations of fraud are by the US paid military.

Of course they want to allege fraud. How dare the liberal-overthrow of Mubarak result in islamists being elected!? Just western neo-liberalism expecting a different outcome. No, it doesn't work that way, and the MB and the islamists must be respected within the framework of democracy.

It's the only real way for progress to be made.

You may be interested in this link, David: http://technosociology.org/?p=1064

I posted it below but I thought I'd highlight it to you since the original poster seems to mangle the events (their statement can be read both ways though so I'm not accusing them of anything).

The Egyptian liberals have an uphill battle, things may get worse before they get better, but the democratic institutions must be respected even if they're on shaky ground right now.

[joshcryer]

4. That reads weird. I think you mean allegations that the MB committed fraud...

...not that the MB alleged fraud. They didn't. The Egyptian military, likely with US pressure, alleged fraud by the MB. This was a really shitty thing to do given how clean the elections actually were: http://technosociology.org/?p=1064

Morsi has a lot of wrangling to do to make sure that peace is maintained and that the US paid Egyptian military keeps its mouth shut and lets the democratic process work. It's going to probably get worse before it gets better.

[pampango]

3. Aljazeera: Egypt's president orders return of parliament

President Mohamed Morsi has defied Egypt's top court and its powerful military council by ordering the country's dissolved parliament back to work.

Morsi issued a decree on Sunday withdrawing the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces decision last month to dissolve parliament, which came after the Supreme Constitutional Court found that the legislature had been elected using an unconstitutional method.

The decree states that Morsi decided to restore the elected People's Assembly, which was voted into office over three months beginning in November, and reconvene it in session to begin issuing legislation again.

The decree appears to be an attempt by Morsi to bring parliament back without directly contradicting the supreme court. Rather than address the court's decision, which stated that parliament should be dissolved, Morsi cancelled the subesquent move by the SCAF - at the time the acting executive power - to implement the court's decision.

http://www.aljazeera.com//news/middleeast/2012/07/201278153339685112.html

[joshcryer]

6. Good for Morsi.

Hopefully the military will stop taking orders from the west now.