Several political forces called for mass protests in Tahrir Square on Friday against the constitutional declaration issued by President Mohamed Morsy Thursday evening.
They made the call to protest during a conference at the Wafd Party headquarters late Thursday night. A number of known opposition figures were in attendance including Mohamed ElBaradei, Ayman Nour, George Ishaq, Hamdeen Sabbahy and Amr Moussa.
The declaration is a “total coup against legitimacy,” said Lawyers Syndicate chief Sameh Ashour as he delivered a statement on behalf of these figures. Morsy now maintains executive, legislative and judicial powers, Ashour’s statement alleged, making him a “dictator the likes of which are unknown in Egypt’s history.”
The declaration must be revoked, the conference attendees demanded; if not, Morsy’s legitimacy would be destroyed. The group statement also called for the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly, and for the formation of a new body to draft the constitution that would be formed through national accord.
“Morsy has taken over the legislative and executive powers and cancelled the judicial branch by making his decisions immune to any appeal,” the statement read. “This amounts to the execution of the state of law.”
The statement called for the constitutional declaration issued earlier on Thursday to be revoked, asserting that until this is the case, Morsy’s rule will be considered illegitimate in from a revolutionary, popular and constitutional perspective.
The constitutional declaration came after a week that saw a wave withdrawals of non-Islamist figures from the Constituent Assembly. The statement read by Ashour describes the assembly as having lost its legal, moral and political legitimacy, and calls for its dissolution. In its place, they advocate a national dialogue in order to agree on standards and terms to create a new assembly bringing together all political and social powers.
The statement also called for legislation that ensures justice for the martyrs of the revolution.
Those present called for mass demonstrations on Friday in Tahrir Square and across Egypt’s squares.
