A Storm Brews in Egypt: Military denies being sharply upset by Mursi 'over-reach'!

(SACNS)

As the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, and the Secular army of Egypt vie for the top spot, Mohamed Mursi has taken a risky move. The Islamist President unilaterally rid the government of a top army man. The same President, has now taken legislative control from the army, and created for himself a right to redraft the Egyptian Constitution.  The army, strongly denied being upset by the move on state television. The move marks yet another blow in the fight between the secular authorities of Yesterday, and the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood put into power in an American backed peoples' uprising.


AFRICA/EGYPT - Government reshuffle: President Mursi consolidates his power

Cairo (Agenzia Fides) - On August 12 Egypt's president Mohamed Mursi ordered a reshuffle of the government, which led to the retirement of the Minister of Defense, Marshal Hussein Tantawi, hitherto considered the "strong man" of Egypt after Mubarak .

President Mursi appointed Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as the new Minister of Defense and Sidki Sobhi as Chief of Staff and Judge Mahmoud Mekki as Vice-President.

The Head of State also agreed to assume the legislative power, reversing the constitutional decree made by the military council in June (20/06/2012).

The Legislative Assembly had in fact been dissolved by a Constitutional Court ruling (see Fides 15/6/2012) and the Military Council had assumed the legislative power.

Mursi finally granted himself the authority to form a new constituent Assembly to rewrite the Constitution if the one in force were to encounter insurmountable obstacles in its application.

A military source, reported by the state television denied that there were negative reactions from the armed forces for President Mohamed Mursi's decision to dismiss Marshal Tantawi. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 13/8/2012)