The ruling military council issued a strongly-worded statement on Friday in response to the massive demonstrations that have been staged since the generals issued a supplement to the Constitutional Declaration which limits the power of the newly-elected president and grants the military council wide authority.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces criticized Mohamed Morsy claiming victory in the presidential election before the Presidential Elections Commission (PEC) makes its official announcement.
The statement said that announcing the election results early was "unjustified" and was the cause behind the division and confusion that has dominated politics in the country.
Although the statement contained indirect criticism of the ongoing protests, it asserted that the SCAF respects the right of peaceful protest. It added that maintaining state institutions is the responsibility of all, and exposing them to any harm threatens Egypt's security.
The SCAF stressed the need to respect judicial verdicts, saying that judicial verdicts are executed in the name of the people and delay in implementing them is a crime punishable by law.
“The rule of law is the basis of governance in the state” and that the generals are impartial toward all political movements, the statement added.
The military council said that it would respond to any attempts to damage public or private interests in the state with the utmost firmness and strength allowed under the law.
The statement added that the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration was a “necessity” because of the country’s current situation, and the council acts to protect the country’s interests.
Egypt has been witnessing protests since Monday following the announcement of the amendments to the interim constitution. Many were also outraged by the Supreme Constitutional Court’s ruling that dissolved the Islamist-led Parliament and a recent Justice Ministry decree that grants military officers the right to investigate and arrest civilians.
The protests coincide with the PEC’s decision to postpone the announcement of the results in the presidential runoff between Morsy and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq.
Muslim Brotherhood members accused the SCAF on Thursday of delaying the results announcement to pressure the group into calling off the protests.
Morsy’s campaign has claimed victory, and many media outlets have published preliminary results that indicate he is the winner.
However, Shafiq refuted these results in a press conference Thursday night and said he was confident that he would be declared the winner by the PEC on Sunday.
