WORLD
Mursi agreed on Saturday night to drop a constitutional decree giving himself powers beyond judicial scrutiny, but replaced it with a new one that insisted that the referendum would go ahead despite calls for a delay.
Egypt's opposition rejected an offer of compromise by President Mohammed Mursi to end the country's crisis over a new constitution on Sunday, and called for mass street protests on Monday.
A fresh rally was under way around the presidential palace on Sunday night as leaders of the liberal and secular opposition to Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood set up a final showdown before Saturday's referendum on the constitution.
The Islamists said they would hold a rival demonstration on Tuesday, throwing up the potential for clashes. Mursi agreed on Saturday night to drop a constitutional decree giving himself powers beyond judicial scrutiny, but replaced it with a new one that insisted that the referendum would go ahead despite calls for a delay.
A moderate Islamist politician involved in talks with the Brotherhood said there would be an opportunity later to revise controversial articles of the draft constitution, which the opposition says does not guarantee basic rights.
Opposition groups refused to back down and held a press conference to denounce the referendum and Mursi's repeated decrees. "We do not recognise the draft constitution because it does not represent the Egyptian people," said a statement by the opposition coalition National Salvation Front, adding that, "We reject the referendum which will certainly lead to more division and sedition."
The April 6 Movement, a Left-wing group that was behind the revolution against Hosni Mubarak, called the compromise "a continuation of deception in the name of law and legitimacy". The Brotherhood is confident it has enough support to win the referendum, which will be decided on a straight majority. It believes that the liberals represent a minority view, and that most Egyptians are happy to see the emphasis on Islam that runs through parts of the draft.
"The seculars and liberals are mobilising people to bring down the Islamic state," said Mohammed Bishawi, a long-standing Muslim Brotherhood member, at a counter-rally at the organisation's headquarters on the outskirts of Cairo.
The building was ransacked by an angry mob on Thursday night, as were other Brotherhood-linked offices around the country, and the organisation was staging a symbolic demonstration to protect it.
Bishawi claimed that the wave of opposition to Mursi in the past two weeks, since he announced his new powers, was "manufactured by the media". "We, the Islamic powers, chosen by democratic election, want to prove to the world that the Egyptian people are with president Mursi and their new constitution," he said. "The liberals don't have any real existence on the street."
Both sides are involved in a high-stakes gamble. The opposition risks making itself look irrelevant if the constitution is passed by a large majority. But if the Brotherhood loses the referendum or has a cripplingly low turnout, it will be a damaging blow to its assumption that political Islam is the dominant voice of Egyptian society.
Defeat would also suggest the public accepted the opposition view that the Brotherhood is showing increasingly authoritarian tendencies. The prosecution service yesterday referred to investigators a Brotherhood claim that opposition leaders, judges and journalists were conspiring to overthrow the government.
If there is a "no" vote in the referendum, a new 100-member constitutional assembly will have to be elected within three months, a new constitution agreed within six months and put to a referendum within a month after that. Only after that can there be new parliamentary elections, by which time the Brotherhood may have lost the popularity it had when it won elections convincingly earlier in the year.
Guru Nanak Jayanti 2024: Know date, time and significance of festival
DSP tracks down vegetable vendor after 14 years, reason will leave you surprised
Chennai Rain Alert: Heavy showers expected today, IMD issues warning to 11 districts
Ankur Warikoo shares details about his annual salary, reveals he earns Rs...
Donald Trump chooses Elon Musk to lead THIS new Department, it is...
Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Voting for first phase begins
IND vs SA: Arshdeep Singh on verge of scripting history, need 8 wickets to achieve THIS massive feat
Bulldozer justice: SC to pronounce verdict today on pleas for guidelines on demolition of properties
IND vs SA, 3rd T20I: Predicted playing XIs, live streaming details, weather and pitch report
Russia plans to boost birth rate with 'Ministry of Sex', here's how
Jharkhand HC issues notice to MS Dhoni in business deal case, asks him to...
IND vs SA, 3rd T20I Dream11 prediction: Fantasy cricket tips for India vs South Africa match
Meet IAS officer, aka 'Collector Bro', who cracked UPSC exam in 2007, now suspended due to...
Here’s why Chunky Panday wouldn’t stay in Shah Rukh Khan’s house in London
Yash's Toxic in trouble? FIR filed against producers of KGF star's upcoming actioner for illegal...
Meet Dr Priti Challa, Kangana Ranaut film director Krish Jagarlamudi's second wife, she leads...
Yaariyan actor Himansh Kohli ties the knot with mystery girl in Delhi temple, first wedding pics out
‘Sometimes I wish I was more tough, more thick-skinned,’ says Aishwarya Rai in viral video
KL Rahul sweats hard in Perth nets ahead of BGT series, WATCH video here
Shahid Kapoor, wife Mira Kapoor rent out their Rs 580000000 luxury Mumbai apartment for Rs...
South Korean actor Song Jae-rim dies at 39 in Seoul apartment
Viral video: Thar SUV gets stuck on railway track after man tries to shoot reel, watch here
Elon Musk's new X post claims Putin must not be blamed for Russia-Ukraine war, instead names…
Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives fame Shalini Passi reveals 'Mom used chilli powder in my...'
My experiences with dating apps
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal reveals how company got its name, says 'we wanted…'
Key Differences Between the Indian Stock Market and Global Indices
Stock prices vs company valuation: Is your stock worth it?
Navjot Singh Sidhu is back on Kapil Sharma's show after five years, but there's a twist
Mukesh Ambani set to invest Rs 65000 crore in THIS Indian state, it will be Reliance's biggest...
Mohammed Shami to return to competitive cricket; star pacer set to play for…
Makoons World School brings a new approach to K-12 education across India
Pakistan Cricket looking to take BIG step on Champions Trophy issue, planning to...
Did Isha Ambani lend Neetu Kapoor her Navratna necklace? Reddit users react
J-K: Gunfight underway between security forces and terrorists in Bandipora
Viral video shows women as 'live mannequins' in mall, sparks fury; WATCH
As Vistara bids goodbye, Air India-Vistara's first flight takes off from Mumbai to...
GATE 2025 Schedule: Exams to begin from February 1; Check full timetable here
CBSE announces BIG changes in Class 10,12 board exams 2025, know details here
Veteran Bengali actor Manoj Mitra dies at 86
Isha Ambani graces Diwali party as she walks with her twins, husband, WATCH
Donald Trump plans to pick Marco Rubio as US Secretary of State: Report
Vadodara IOCL refinery fire: Death toll rises to 2; probe underway
Shah Rukh Khan death threat: Mumbai police arrest accused from Chhattisgarh's Raipur
Delhi reports record high chikungunya, malaria cases in 5 years
Japan's Nara deer's polite bow to Indian woman leaves netizens in awe, WATCH