Tens of thousands of Islamists rallied yesterday in support of President Mohamed Morsi’s new expanded powers and the drafting of a contested charter, highlighting Egypt’s widening polarisation.
The demonstration in the heart of Cairo comes a day after crowds thronged to Tahrir Square to protest against the President’s decree and the speedy adoption of the draft constitution.
The charter has taken centre stage in the country’s worst political crisis since Morsi’s election in June, squaring largely Islamist forces against secular-leaning opponents.
It is expected to go to a popular referendum within two weeks.
Members of the constituent assembly were due later yesterday to hand Morsi the final draft of the constitution adopted after a marathon overnight session on Thursday that was boycotted by liberals, seculars and Christians.
Tens of thousands of pro-Morsi demonstrators, including from the Muslim Brotherhood, on whose ticket Morsi ran for office, and hardline Salafists, packed the wide avenue running in front of Cairo University, with riot police on standby and roadblocks in place.
“We want this phase to end, we want a constitution. If people don’t like the constitution, let them say so through the ballot boxes,” one protester said, as others chanted: “The people want the implementation of God’s law.”
“We are here to support the decisions of Dr Mohamed Morsi, we support him because those decisions were a part of the revolutionary demands,” said Hend Abdellateef.
Veiled women ullulated among the protesters who carried Egyptian and Saudi flags and posters of Morsi, with banners reading: “Together (with Morsi) to save the revolution”.
“There are people who want instability,” said Khaled, one of the demonstrators, referring to anti-Morsi protesters. “There needs to be a constitution for there to be stability.”
Pro-Morsi protests were also staged in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and the central Egyptian province of Assiut.
In Cairo, one demonstrator died and 24 others were injured when a tree fell near the main stage near the university. The Muslim Brotherhood and their supporters have branded the opposition enemies of the revolution that toppled longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Across the Nile river, hundreds of protesters camped out in Tahrir Square since Morsi issued a decree expanding his powers were joined by more demonstrators throughout the day.
The National Rescue Front – a coalition of opponents led by dissident former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed El Baradei, ex-Arab League chief Amr Mussa and former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi – has called on the decree’s opponents to keep up the pressure.
It has called on Egyptians to “reject the illegitimate” decree and the “void” draft constitution, and stressed the public’s right “to use any peaceful method to protest including a general strike and civil disobedience.”
The crisis was sparked when Morsi issued the decree on November 22 giving himself sweeping powers and placing his decisions beyond judicial review, provoking mass protests and a judges’ strike.
His decree prevented the top legal body the Supreme Constitutional Court from potentially dissolving the Islamist-run constituent assembly, in a ruling it was to make today on the body’s legality.
“Rushing through a draft while serious concerns about key rights protections remain unaddressed will create huge problems,” said Joe Stork of Human Rights Watch.
Amnesty International said the draft “raises concerns about Egypt’s commitment to human rights treaties,” specifically ignoring “the rights of women (and) restricting freedom of expression in the name of religion.”
In an interview broadcast on Thursday night, Morsi again stressed that his new powers would expire once the constitution was ratified, a point which Islamist supporters have repeatedly made in favour of his decree last week.