Egypt’s dissolved Parliament convened yesterday in defiance of the powerful military and the judiciary as a constitutional crisis raged over a presidential decree reinstating the Islamist-led assembly.

The Egyptian people should get what they protested for and what they voted for

“We are gathered today to review the court rulings, the ruling of the Supreme Constitutional Court,” which ordered the house invalid, speaker Saad al-Katatni said.

“I want to stress, we are not contradicting the ruling, but looking at a mechanism for the implementation of the ruling of the respected court. There is no other agenda today.”

Last month, the Supreme Constitutional Court said certain articles in the law governing the parliamentary elections were invalid, annulling the house. The military, which ruled Egypt after Hosni Mubarak was ousted in last year’s popular uprising, then dissolved the house and took legislative control using a document granting the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) sweeping powers.

But on Sunday, just eight days after taking office, President Mohamed Morsi, a former member of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, ordered the lower house to reconvene.

His move highlighted the power struggle between the President and the Scaf, after the constitutional declaration issued by the military basically defanged the post of President.

Mr Morsi’s decree was hailed by those who want to see the army return to barracks, but it was criticised by those who fear an Islamist monopolisation of power as a “constitutional coup”.

Mr Katatni said Parliament had referred the case invalidating the house to the Court of Cassation, while the Supreme Constitutional Court was looking into cases put forward to annul Mr Morsi’s decree.

Hundreds of people gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, hub of the revolution, to chant their support for Mr Morsi’s decision and chant “Down with the military,” while those opposing the decree protested outside the presidential palace.

The tension prompted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to call for negotiations.

“We urge that there be intensive dialogue among all of the stakeholders in order to ensure that there is clear path for them to be following,” she said at a news conference in Vietnam.