Political powers have called for a protest in Tahrir Square Tuesday to reject the Constitutional Declaration supplement issued by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
Revolutionary and other groups described the supplement as an attempt by SCAF to strip the new president of his powers.
Unofficial voting results show Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsy leads the race, with more than 52 percent of the vote.
Political groups that will participate in the protest — including the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, the Salafi-led Nour Party, the moderate Islamist Wasat Party, Jama’a al-Islamiya, the April 6 Youth Movement and the Revolutionary Socialists — also reject the dissolution of Parliament and the granting of the power of judicial execution to military police.
FJP leader Helmy al-Gazzar said Tuesday’s protest would be staged to voice rejection of the Constitutional Declaration supplement and not to call for overturning the Supreme Constitutional Court’s order to dissolve Parliament.
Gazzar, who said the document would “tie the hands of the new president,” told Al-Qahira Al-Youm show on Monday that Morsy would swear the oath in front of the Supreme Constitutional Court.
He said calls for Morsy to be sworn in in Tahrir represent a revolutionary demand, but added that one has to listen to the voice of reason.
The complementary document gives SCAF extensive powers that sometimes exceed those of the president, he said.
Meanwhile, the Salafi Dawah condemned the issuing of the Constitutional Declaration supplement, saying it would lead to instability and unrest.
The group said in a statement Monday that the document includes extremely dangerous points for the future of the country and its stability, and called on SCAF to cancel it.
The declaration gives the military council the power to set up a constitution-writing assembly if something comes up to prevent the current assembly from carrying out its function.
The Salafi Dawah said this is a brazen defiance of the 19 March 2011 referendum and of the nation’s will to have the assembly elected by its representatives in Parliament.
Meanwhile, Tahrir Square remains calm in anticipation of the protest expected to start in the afternoon.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
