The implications of the heavyweight showdown that has been recently sparked by Egypt’s first Islamist President Mohamed Morsy’s decision to reinstate Parliament, continue to dominate the front pages of both state-owned and independent newspapers.
On Sunday, Morsy decreed that Islamist-dominated legislature would resume sessions Tuesday. Morsy’s decree conflicts with the Supreme Constitutional Court’s ruling on 14 June that the law governing the parliamentary elections was unconstitutional for allowing political parties to field candidates for seats that were allocated for independents.
In its statement, however, the court made it clear in strident tone that it would not bow to Morsy’s move. “Our verdicts are final … we are the sole authority responsible for constitutional justice,” privately-owned Al-Tahrir writes.
The Supreme Council of Armed Forces issued a statement Monday sending out a clear signal that it stands by the Court’s decision and would not back down from the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration. The supplement ordered the Parliament be re-elected and stripped president-elect Morsy of most significant powers.
The SCAF also stressed the importance of respecting the rule of law and stated that the announcement of the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration issued on 17 June was essential under the political, legal, and constitutional circumstances the country was passing through, says state-owned Al-Ahram.
“It does not contradict the Constitutional court,” state-run Al-Gomhurriya’s headline quotes presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali, who condemned descriptions Morsy’s decision as outreach.
“Morsy stresses his respects for the constitution and the law,” said Ali in Monday’s statement. However, the message from his address obviously conveys that the president adheres to his stance adding, “The military council does not enjoy the president’s authority … it does not have the right to cancel, amend, or withdraw any previous decisions,” the report states.
Despite the ongoing rivalry over power, the bitter enemies of the Brotherhood and the military, managed to appear cooperative on Monday at a military graduation ceremony. In most of today’s papers, pictures show Morsy and Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of SCAF, smiling and shaking hands. It was described by the independent daily Al-Watan as a “soft collision.”
Privately-owned Al-Shorouk raises a question: “ The President and the Marshal: Conflict of authority or joint deal?”
In two-page spread, the independent paper gives an in-depth analysis of Egypt’s political scene and comparative outlook on the changing stance of each party since former president Hosni Mubarak and his 30-year-old regime were toppled during the 2011 uprising.
Al-Shorouk reports that Mohamed Saif al-Dawla, political analyst, believes that the Brotherhood and the military had a secret deal over the presidential decree. He justifies his suggestion by pointing out that Morsy has limited the term of People’s Assembly until new parliamentary elections take place, rather than asserting the legitimacy of Egypt’s first freely-elected Parliament.
On a different page, Al-Shorouk sheds light on the mixed reactions between MPs provoked by the Parliament reinstatement. It reported that the leftist Tagammu Party announced its boycott in a statement. “The president does not enjoy the authority to challenge the constitution, the law, and the court’s verdict … disrespecting the judiciary and its decisions incites a state of chaos,” read the statement.
Youm7 adds that the liberal New Wafd Party decided to follow into the footsteps of Tagammu Party, calling on its members to refrain from participating Tuesday’s session. Wafd MP Hanan Abul-Gheit, however, refused to join the boycott due to requests from her constituency. “It’s time for the state’s executive and legislative institutions to work hand-in-hand for the sake of restoring the country’s stability,” she says.
While “Salafists celebrate the return of People’s Assembly,” Al-Shorouk’s headline reports, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party and the Free Egyptians Party are still considering their stance, the paper reports.
Finally, the fate of Egypt’s Parliament would be determined today as the Administrative Court is set to consider the appeals filed against Morsy’s presidential decision, while Saad al-Katatany, former speaker of People’s Assembly, would resume Parliament “by the power of the president,” Youm7 says.
Egypt’s papers:
Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt
Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size
Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run
Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run
Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned
Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned
Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned
Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party
Youm7: Daily, privately owned
Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned
Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party
Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party
Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party
