Egypt's Morsi defies court

Egypt's parliamentary speaker said the chamber will assemble on Tuesday despite the Supreme Constitutional Court reiterating that their decision to quash the legislative body was final and legally binding, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

Like President Mohammed Morsi, Speaker Saad al-Katatni, from the once suppressed Muslim Brotherhood, said the lower house would sit from noon local time on Tuesday, disobeying the army's orders to dissolve parliament a month ago, based on a court ruling.

'An early confrontation'

Barely one week into office, Morsi issued a decree on Sunday to recall parliament, despite the judicial decision.

Local newspaper Al-Akhbar, summed up Morsi's decision to defy the ruling military council, led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi as an "early confrontation."

Since Mubarak's ouster in February 2011, the military council has run the country. Seeking to trim Morsi's authority they dissolved parliament, as well as giving themselves full legislative powers, before swearing him in as Egypt's first freely elected president on June 30.

Morsi's decree late Sunday to reinstate parliament gives those powers to his party, the Muslim Brotherhood, who share a two-third majority in the house along with other Islamists.

He has also demanded new parliamentary elections take place once a new constitution is drawn up and passed by a referendum.

In a statement issued after the judiciary met in an emergency session, in response to Morsi's decree, the court, whose decision led to parliament being dissolved, maintained its rulings are final and binding on all state institutions.

The court also said it would assess the constitutionality of Morsi's decree on Tuesday.

Defiance of court orders

Morsi's defiance of both the court and the military, surprised many observers who thought he had struck a power-sharing deal with the military.

"It's extremely uncertain where this will lead," veteran political analyst Hani Shukrallah, editor of state-run newspaper Al Ahram said.

"On the face of it, it's a very strong insult to the military and the Supreme Constitutional Court," he added.

Gamal Abdul-Gawad, an expert at the Al Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, said Morsi's decree is "the latest episode in the struggle for power between the Muslim Brothers and the army...and it will increase political instability in Egypt."

"What we're talking about here is not really the legalities of the situation, but power relations. How far is each side willing to push the other?" Shukrallah told the DPA news agency.

Non-Islamist political forces in Egypt have reacted angrily to Morsi's decision, especially leftists and liberals who fear the Brotherhood is aiming to establish an Islamic state where human rights will be undermined.

The Brotherhood has "succeeded in accomplishing a rapprochement between the secular forces and the army that has not happened in all the past 17 months," said Abdul-Gawad, referring to the period since Mubarak's overthrow last year.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle was heading to Egypt on Monday ready for his first meeting with Morsi on Tuesday.

jlw/ng (dpa, Reuters, AP, AFP)