Egyptian Jurists Pick Holes in Army Grab of President to-be Powers, Depict it as “Military Coup against Authority”
In light of the fresh developments in Egypt and the many political due dates-most of which are constitutional-the adoption by the Supreme Constitutional Court and then by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of a series of consecutive measures within less than a week has made headlines, as the Court ruled the dissolution of the parliament and the military council issued constitutional amendments on the eve of the presidential runoff, hereby giving the army wide powers to administrate the country's affairs, much equal to, nay outreaching those of the president. The army was even seen consecrated as a legitimate power operating under the ceiling of the constitution.
Abdullah al-Ashaal: Military Council bound to hand over power end of month and has no truck with it
Such developments drew diatribe of a panel of the Egyptian Revolution's components, with many legal experts having a say on the military council grabbing power.
In remarks made to al-Intiqad, Abdullah al-Ashaal, a professor of International Law at the American University of Cairo, said the military council is bound to hand over power end of June, taking to task the council's bids to vie with the president by putting a new constitution for the country and shaping the political life in Egypt.
"Only the President of the Republic is elected by the people and only he is entitled to run the state's affairs, whereas the Egyptian people has consigned him to do so," he said. As stressing the necessity that the military council withdraw from power, al-Ashaal said: "The council says something and does something else. It bears contradictions and it must respect the will of the Egyptian people."
He also maintained that the council has neither the right to legislation nor to any power, chiding it for "having granted itself power and claimed that the people had given it." "It is a military coup against power in Egypt," he deemed.
"The Judiciary seems to be independent, but the Court has indeed responded to the pressures of the military council to dissolve the parliament; this is illegal," he said. He also noted the council's too many mistakes.
"The Revolution shall continue; the military council just has to let us be and not to tell the president what to do," he exclaimed.
Al-Ashaal explained that it is the president of the Republic who assumes power and not the military council. "According to constitutional traditions, the president of the Republic assumes the legislative power if the parliament was off, and the people is stronger than the army; no one will impose on us anything, and the army shall not accept what the military council is doing," he said.
Abd al-Azim al-Maghrabi: Americans scheme to interfere in Egypt, Mursi's victory advantageous to Revolution
Deputy Head of Egyptian Arab Lawyers Union, Abd al-Azim al-Maghrabi, told al-Intiqad that the results of the presidential elections came in favor of the Revolution regardless of who supports or opposes Mohammad Mursi.He actu
ally maintained that the US and "Co." do spearhead a scheme on Egypt and that they are interceding in the Egyptian affairs since the beginning of the crisis. He even said that Ahmad Shafiq has run for presidency in that respect. "We hope that the Muslim Brotherhood, after reaching power, learn from their mistakes in the past, namely in the crises we have encountered," he said.
"Those who voted for Shafiq did not do so for the sake of the camp he is affiliated to, but rather to convey a message of dismay to the [Muslim] Brotherhood," he added."The [Muslim] Brotherhood must join hands with the other poles of the Revolution, since they are an integral fabric hereof; the Revolution is for the entire people and not only for one sole faction," he continued. "If the [Muslim] Brotherhood rectifies some of their mistakes, the upcoming stage is to be much better than before," he underlined.
Source: al-Intiqad, translated and edited by moqawama.org
