Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has lost the support of some in his cabinet – along with the sympathies of much of the public. To make matters worse, the military is promising to deploy on Tahrir Square to guard the demonstrators who have been protesting against his administration.
‘‘The military has essentially dumped Morsi,’’ said Hani Sabra, Mideast analyst with the Eurasia Group in New York. ‘‘It’s absolutely a threat of a coup.”
“The plunge by the military into the rift between the Islamist president and his opponents coincided with Dr. Morsi’s first anniversary in office, a year detractors paint as one of turmoil, deepening poverty and sectarian violence. Unemployment is at over 13 percent and economic growth is near its slowest pace in two decades.” – smh.com.au
However, Morsi and his supporters are not ready to give up just yet.
“President Mohamed Morsi clung to office on Tuesday after rebuffing an army ultimatum to force a resolution to Egypt’s political crisis, and the Muslim Brotherhood sought to mass its supporters to defend him.
“In a defiant 2 a.m. statement, Morsi’s office said the president had not been consulted before the armed forces chief-of-staff set a 48-hour deadline for a power-sharing deal and would pursue his own plan for national reconciliation.” – reuters.com
“Muslim brotherhood members have called on Mursi loyalists to take to the streets ” to back their president.
“Meanwhile an Islamist alliance has condemned the spread of violence by some protesters and warned against attempts to use the army to attack the legitimacy of the elected leader which could lead to a military coup.” – euronews.com
It remains to be seen how this political chess game will play out. However, newspapers across the political spectrum saw the army’s 48-hour deadline as a turning point.
“Last 48 hours of Muslim Brotherhood rule,” the opposition daily El Watan declared. “Egypt awaits the army,” said the state-owned El Akhbar.
