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Morsi faces ultimatum

July 1, 2013

The Egyptian opposition has demanded that President Mohammed Morsi resign by Tuesday, threatening a campaign of civil disobedience if he stays. Meanwhile, several cabinet ministers have resigned amid ongoing protests.

https://p.dw.com/p/18yv1
Protesters, opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, take part in a protest demanding Mursi to resign at Tahrir Square in Cairo July 1, 2013. The headquarters of Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood was overrun by youths who ransacked the building after those inside were evacuated on Monday following a night of violence that killed eight people. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST RELIGION)
Image: Reuters

Egypt's opposition group, Tamarod, which is Arabic for "Rebel," announced on Monday that they would give President Morsi until Tuesday to resign. "We give Mohammed Morsi until 5:00 pm (1500 GMT) on Tuesday July 2 to leave power, allowing state institutions to prepare for early presidential elections," it said in a statement on its website.

If the Islamist leader did not step down, the opposition group said it would begin a "complete civil disobedience campaign.”

Protesters on Monday stormed the headquarters of the pro-Morsi Muslim Brotherhood building in Cairo. The building was reportedly ransacked and then set ablaze.

It has also been reported that at least four ministers resigned from Morsi's government Monday. An unnamed cabinet official said the head of tourism, communications and information technology, minister of state for legal and parliamentary affairs and the environmental affairs minister all tendered their resignations.

The opposition is accusing Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president, of ignoring the goals of the revolution that toppled ex-President Hosni Mubarak, cracking down on dissent and imposing Islamist values.

Sunday protests in Cairo

Tamarod has driven most of the opposition protests across Egypt including Sunday's rally that drew hundreds of thousands of people, demanding that Morsi step down on the first anniversary of his inauguration as president.

Protesters chanted, "The people want the fall of the regime!" in the capital Cairo, as part of the largest demonstration since Mubarak's ousting in 2011. Security forces have reported that at least 16 people were killed across Egypt on Sunday in clashes between Morsi opponents and supporters.

Some spent the night in tents pitched in the capital's iconic Tahrir Square, where they say they will stay until Morsi steps down. Organizers are also calling for sit-ins at several government buildings.

Tamarod has been collecting signatures for months calling for Morsi to resign and demanding that Egypt hold new elections. On Saturday, the group claimed that 22 million people had signed their pledge.

Morsi has said he will not step down and that street protests cannot overrule the results of a free election.

hc/jr (Reuters, AFP, AP)