President Mohamed Morsy’s decision Sunday to reinstate members of the lower house of Parliament, which had been dissolved by a June court ruling, sparked protests in favor of and against the move.
Hundreds of demonstrators in Cairo’s Tahrir Square supported Morsy’s decision to reconvene the People’s Assembly. The Supreme Constitutional Court had disbanded the assembly, saying articles of the electoral law were unconstitutional because they allowed party candidates to vie for seats allocated for independent candidates.
Morsy’s decision involved holding fresh parliamentary elections 60 days after the country’s new constitution is drafted.
In Nasr City, hundreds rallied outside the Memorial of the Unknown Soldier to denounce Morsy’s declaration, calling it a first step toward the Muslim Brotherhood’s takeover of the country and saying Morsy backtracked on his promises to establish a civil state.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the constitutional court’s general assembly had both called for an urgent meeting to discuss Morsy’s decision.
