Egypt’s Islamist President Mohamed Morsi has emerged empowered by a “revolutionary” decision to dismiss his powerful defence minister and curb the military’s sweeping powers, media said yesterday.

In a surprise move, Mr Morsi on Sunday retired Defence Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, 76, and armed forces chief of staff Sami Anan and scrapped a constitutional document that gave the military legislative and other powers.

The state-run Al-Akhbar newspaper said the dismissal of Field Marshall Tantawi, who ruled Egypt for more than a year after massive streets protests forced veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak to step down in February 2011, was a “revolutionary decision.”

“The Brothers officially in power,” declared the independent Al-Watan daily, referring to the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group which backs Mr Morsi and through whose ranks he rose before his election triumph.

The independent daily Al-Shorouk said Mr Morsi had accumulated “much bigger prerogatives than those of Mubarak.” Thousands of Islamist supporters on Sunday flooded into Cairo’s Tahrir Square – cradle of the revolution that toppled Mr Mubarak last year – to celebrate.

“The people support the President’s decision,” the crowd chanted. In a late-night speech, Mr Morsi denied trying to marginalise the army, saying he was acting in the interests of the country.

“I never intended, through my decisions, to marginalise or be unjust towards anyone, but rather to act so that we advance towards a better future, with a new generation, long-awaited new blood,” Mr Morsi said.

Mr Morsi also amended the interim Constitution to deny the military any role in public policy-making, the budget or legislation, or the right to pick a costituent assembly drafting a permanent constitution.