Egypt’s interim president Adly Mansour issued a constitutional declaration that will remain effective until the end of the ongoing transitional period, which will last for least six months. He also named liberal economist and former finance minister Hazem al-Beblawi as prime minister in a transitional government, appointed former UN nuclear agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei as deputy to the president, responsible for foreign affairs.
GOVERNMENT & OPPOSITION
Egypt’s constitutional declaration issued, defines transitional period
Egypt’s interim president Adly Mansour issued a constitutional declaration that will remain effective until the end of the ongoing transitional period, which will last for least six months. The transitional period has started upon issuing of the constitutional declaration and ends after the presidential elections, due next year. Mansour decreed overnight that a parliamentary vote would be held in about six months, followed by a presidential election. The declaration, which came into effect late Monday, consists of thirty-three articles. It will be automatically canceled when an amended version of the suspended constitution is approved in a referendum. Two committees have also been formed, both tasked with amending the 2012 constitution. The first is made up of 10 legal experts from judicial authorities and constitutional law departments at Egyptian universities. The second comprises fifty members supposed to represent a spectrum of society. In what appeared to be an olive branch to Islamists, the decree included controversial language put into the constitution last year that defined the principles of Islamic sharia law. However, critics said the plan repeated flaws in the 2011 transition that contributed to the current crisis, by leaving the process for amending the constitution vague, describing the timetable as “rushed.” [Ahram Online, Reuters, AFP/Al Arabiya, 7/8/2013]
Egypt temporary leadership names interim prime minister
Egypt’s interim president on Tuesday named liberal economist and former finance minister Hazem al-Beblawi as prime minister in a transitional government, as the authorities sought to steer the country to new parliamentary and presidential elections. Acting head of state Adly Mansour also appointed former UN nuclear agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei as deputy to the president, responsible for foreign affairs. The hardline Islamist Nour Party, which has held up the political process by objecting to several candidates put forward by military-backed interim authorities, said it would support Beblawi’s appointment. The head of the party added that it was still studying ElBaradei’s appointment. [Reuters, Ahram Online, 7/9/2013]
Political parties react to the constitutional declaration
In a statement on their Facebook page, al-Jama’a al-Islamiya and its political party rejected the declaration, issued by an “illegitimate president”, adding that the only legitimate constitution is the one that received Egyptians’ approval. The Muslim Brotherhood also rejected it with senior Brotherhood politician Essam al-Erian said the decree by interim head of state Adly Mansour was "usurping legislative power" and an act of "someone appointed by the putschists." Mahmoud Badr, spokesperson of the ‘Rebel’ (Tamarod) movement, said that the group was “surprised” by the presidency’s constitutional decree. He added that Mohamed ElBaradei and legal expert Mona Zulfuqar are currently making amendments to the decree and will present them to the presidency on Tuesday. Former presidential candidate Khaled Ali condemned the decree, saying it once again gives the president absolute powers. April 6 echoed Ali’s concerns, saying the decree combines the legislative and executive authority in one, opening the door to unconstitutional declarations without the public’s approval. [Ahram Online, EGYNews (Arabic), 7/9/2013]
Political parties weigh in on Egypt’s roadmap
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood on Tuesday rejected a new timetable announced by the military-backed interim leadership that sets a fast track for amending the Islamist-drafted constitution and holding new parliamentary and presidential elections by early next year. The Salafist Nour Party proposed an initiative on Monday as an alternative to the army-imposed "roadmap" for Egypt’s political transition. The initiative, the party said, should involve all political currents, along with the armed forces. It should also include the formation of a committee tasked with fostering "national reconciliation." The party explained it initially approved of the roadmap because it was trying to end the bloodshed and maintain the state’s identity, the Middle East News Agency reported. The moderate-Islamist Wasat Party on Monday said that the military’s exit from Egypt’s fraught political stage was the "only solution" to the country’s current political crisis, state news agency MENA reported on Monday.
Egypt’s main left-wing political leader called on Monday for the immediate formation of an interim government to fill a dangerous political vacuum after a deadly clash between the army and Muslim Brotherhood supporters on Sunday in which dozens were killed. Former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi, leader of the Popular Current party, told Reuters the new authorities created when the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Morsi last week in response to mass protests could not afford to wait. Egypt’s Strong Egypt Party on Monday called on Muslim Brotherhood leaders to stop escalating against the Egyptian army, going on to blame the army for not preventing bloodshed as promised. [AP, Aswat Masriya, Egypt Independent, Ahram Online, 7/9/2013]
Also of Interest:
After the carnage in Cairo | Ahram Online
Analysis: Egyptian military’s new look challenged | AP
Condemnation of violence at the Republican Guard headquarters | DNE
Insight: From power to protest, Egypt’s Brotherhood fights for life | Reuters
Egypt’s lesson for political Islam: politics comes first | Reuters
Egypt presidency forms judicial committee to investigate Rep. Guard killings | Ahram Online
Abdel Maged seeks 40 million signatures for Morsi’s reinstatement | Egypt Independent
Brotherhood leadership split members | DNE
Freedom and Justice Party headquarters in Cairo closed | DNE
Morsi’s PM Qandil officially resigns from post | Aswat Masriya
June 30 Front defends anti-Brotherhood protests, says violence leaves room for foreign intervention | DNE, Aswat Masriya
COURTS & CONSTITUTION
Egypt prosecutors open investigation into Republican Guard HQ killings
Prosecutors have begun an investigation into the killing of at least 54 people during clashes between the Egyptian army and pro-Morsi protesters in Cairo on Monday morning. Prosecutors said they had found bullets, birdshot and Molotov cocktails in the vicinity of the clashes near the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo’s Nasr City. The investigations, headed by judge Ibrahim Salah, are being carried out by a team of 60 investigators, with over 650 defendants being questioned. The defendants are facing several charges among them murder, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and undermining public security. Egypt’s Tamarod (Rebel) campaign has called for an independent investigation into what it described as the "lamentable" violence outside a Cairo military barracks early Monday in which dozens of protesters were killed in clashes with security personnel. [Ahram Online, EGYNews (Arabic), 7/9/2013]
Also of Interest:
Public prosecutor’s resignation accepted | AMAY (Arabic), DNE,
Ahmed Arfa and five members of Hazemoon were arrested for possession of weapons | AMAY (Arabic)
ECONOMY
UAE agrees to give Egypt $3 billion in loans and grant – source
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has agreed to grant Egypt $1 billion and lend it another $2 billion, an Egyptian source close to the talks said on Tuesday. The source said the amount was expected to be part of a larger financial package from the UAE. The loan would be in the form of a deposit at Egypt’s central bank, although the interest rate and maturity had yet to be finalized. The UAE has also sent 30,000 tons of diesel to Egypt via Suez, a senior Petroleum Ministry official said on Tuesday. The diesel shipment is the first in a series the UAE has pledged to Egypt following the June 30 protests that ousted the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi from power. The reports come amidst news of a ministerial delegation from the UAE due to arrive in Egypt early this week, a source close to the UAE government said on Tuesday. [Reuters, Egypt Independent, AMAY (Arabic), Shorouk (Arabic), 7/9/2013]
Also of Interest:
The fate of Islamic bonds remains vague after the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood | DNE
Egyptian bourse resumes big jump after constitutional declaration | Ahram Online, Reuters, AMAY (Arabic)
Egypt enjoys power surplus due to energy-saving measures by public | Ahram Online
Egypt pound strengthens at central bank currency sale | Ahram Online
SOCIETY & MEDIA
Sorrow and anger at Raba’a al-Adaweya, Pro-Morsi protesters at Cairo University
Thousands of demonstrators arrived at Raba’a al-Adaweya, the site of an ongoing demonstration in support of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, after Monday morning’s violence between the Republican Guard and Morsi loyalists left 51 dead and 435 injured, according to a the Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, a sit-in by Morsi supporters experienced tight security measures Monday morning following clashes at the Republican Guard headquarters. Military forces, aided by police, blocked all entrances to the sit-in with tanks and armored trucks. Pedestrians entered through a narrow passage lined with army personnel in order to reach the sit-in, after which they were subjected to a security check. Non-Egyptians were refused entry. Morsi supporters also announced that they will begin a "Martyrs" million-man march on Tuesday at noon. The march is organized by the pro-Morsi National Alliance in Support of Legitimacy, an Islamist coalition led by the Muslim Brotherhood, who fielded Morsi for president. [DNE, Ahram Online, 7/9/2013]
Also of Interest:
Ramadan starts Wednesday: Dar Al-Ifta | Ahram Online
Protesters recount bloody scenes at Republican Guard clashes | Ahram Online
Travel ban on CBC owner lifted | Egypt Independent
Al Jazeera kicked out of Egypt news conference | AP
Al Jazeera employees resign over ‘lack of neutrality’ | DNE, Shorouk (Arabic)
Egypt Journalist Syndicate mourns death of FJP news photographer | Ahram Online
Colleagues of journalist killed at Cairo clashes share photos | Ahram Online
SECURITY
Masked gunmen open fire at Port Said church
Masked gunmen opened fire at Mar Mina Church in Port Said’s al-Manakh early Tuesday and managed to get away, according to state-run news agency MENA. No casualties were reported. Army and police squads arrived at the scene of the attack and efforts are being undertaken to identify the perpetrators. This is the third such attack in twenty-four hours. Yesterday, unknown attackers assaulted Port Said’s western seaport and the province’s traffic police department. [Egypt Independent, Aswat Masriya, Ahram Online, Mada Masr, SIS, 7/8/2013]
Armed groups attacked Republican Guard HQ at dawn: Military spokesman
Military spokesman Ahmed Aly said in a press conference on Monday afternoon that army and police forces protecting the Republican Guard headquarters were attacked on Monday by armed groups. According to Aly, pro-Morsi protesters, who have been gathering outside the Republican Guard headquarters for days, used live ammunition and birdshot against security personnel. He added, “The images of dead children which were displayed on one of the Facebook pages of Islamist parities is from the civil war in Syria,” while Egypt’s Health Insurance Authority head Abdel-Rahman al-Sakka said that no women or children were killed during the clashes. Investigations have revealed that 54 people were killed, mostly by gunfire, in the violent confrontations. Hisham Ibrahim, a doctor at the Brotherhood’s field hospital, also said there were at least 50 deaths, adding that over 1,000 were injured. [Ahram Online, DNE, Aswat Masriya, SIS, 7/8/2013]
Army arrests 11 in Sinai attacks; Gunmen attack security checkpoint
The armed forces in Sinai arrested and referred to prosecution at least eleven suspects on Sunday night after attacks on security checkpoints and civil defense departments. Unknown assailants attacked five security checkpoints in the al-Arish area in Sinai on Saturday and early on Sunday, leaving one security personnel dead and four injured. Unknown gunmen in North Sinai attacked a security checkpoint Monday close to the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses said that the gunmen attacked the checkpoint, located one kilometer away from the Rafah border crossing with the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory. On Tuesday, security forces in North Sinai arrested a Palestinian taking pictures near a checkpoint in al-Taweel, east of Arish. Another two men were arrested in al-Gora village south of Sheikh Zuweid. An investigation is ongoing to find out if they played a role in the recent violence in the governorate. [DNE, Egypt Independent, 7/9/2013]
Also of Interest:
Police arrest perpetrators in Alexandria rooftop video; Head of Alexandria Security says remaining suspects have been identified | DNE, EGYNews (Arabic), Shorouk (Arabic)
REGIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
UN, HRW condemn Republican Guard killings
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemns the killings at Egypt’s Republican Guard in Cairo and asks that those responsible be brought to justice. In an official statement he said he is "deeply disturbed" by the death of over 50 people when supporters of the deposed president Mohamed Morsi clashed with the Armed Forces, said the secretary-general’s spokesperson in a statement. Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued statements on Sunday and Monday urging political parties in Egypt to reconcile in order to avoid further violence, and condemning Monday’s violence outside the Republican Guards palace in Cairo. The group praised political leaders who called for their supporters to refrain from attacks, in its remarks on Sunday. Joe Stork, the HRW deputy Middle East and North Africa director, stated that all political parties should urge their followers to avoid any actions that could lead to violence and loss of lives. He added that security forces need to show professionalism while conducting their duties in preventing violence. [Ahram Online, SIS, DNE, 7/9/2013]
EU’s billions in aid to Egypt ‘under constant review’
The European Union on Monday condemned the killing of supporters of Egypt’s ousted president and said it was keeping its billions of euros in aid pledged to the country "under constant review". "We are doing all that we can through talking to everyone on the ground to make sure everyone understands the need for peace to be maintained," Michael Mann, spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, said at a routine press briefing. In a statement on Sunday, Ashton called for an immediate end to the violence, stressing that a willingness to include all parties and constituencies in the political sphere is imperative to achieving stability and democracy. In a statement on Monday, Ashton also urged all sides in Egypt against "provocation or escalation" as Islamists called for an uprising after the deaths of dozens of loyalists of the country’s ousted president. [Ahram Online, DNE, 7/8/2013]
White House says will not immediately cut off aid to Egypt
The White House said on Monday it is not in the best interests of the United States to immediately change its aid program to Egypt, where President Mohamed Morsi was removed from office by the military last week. The US government is not yet prepared to label the Egyptian military’s overthrow of the government as a coup, a decision that would determine whether US aid to the country would continue, White House spokesman Jay Carney said. He added that the United States remains concerned about the increasing violence and political polarization in Egypt, and has called on the transitional authority in Egypt to avoid reprisals, arrests and restrictions on the media. The United States also condemned "explicit" calls to violence by Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. Meanwhile, Senator John McCain pressed on Monday for the United States to suspend its $1.5 billion in annual aid to Egypt, saying the removal of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi from office appeared to be a coup led by the military. McCain’s calls were echoed by members of Congress, including Senators Carl Levin and Patrick Leahy. Congress remains divided over the issue, with some rejecting any immediate move to cut off aid including Senators Tim Kaine and Robert Menendez, and Representative Mike Rogers. The United States on Monday called on Egypt’s military to exercise "maximum restraint" after dozens of people were killed while demonstrating against Morsi’s ouster. "Egypt’s stability and democratic political order are at stake," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters during a briefing in which she said Washington "strongly" condemns violence on all sides. Psaki also denied calling on the Egyptian army to release Morsi or any Muslim Brotherhood members. [Reuters, AP, 7/9/2013]
Egypt deports 276 Syrians after enacting travel restrictions
Egypt restricted the ability of Syrians to enter the country on Monday, with officials citing reports that a large number of Syrians were backing the Muslim Brotherhood, which is engaged in a bloody standoff over the military’s ouster of Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi. Egyptian authorities began requiring Syrians to get visas before arriving in the country, according to officials and opposition figures, many of whom live in the Egyptian capital. Cairo International Airport authorities deported 276 Syrians arriving from Beirut and Damascus Monday night, after enacting travel restrictions, citing they were missing security permits and proper entry visas. Egyptian authorities’ decision to introduce new restrictions on Syrians travelling to Egypt is a response to internal security developments, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday. Officials denied the move had anything to do with Egypt’s support for the Syrian opposition against President Bashar al-Assad, stressing that relations between Egypt and Syria remain strictly on the consulate level. [AP, Ahram Online, DNE, Egypt Independent, EGYNews (Arabic), 7/9/2013]
Also of Interest:
Rafah crossing remains closed for fifth consecutive day | Shorouk (Arabic)
Hamas: Rafah crossing to open on Wednesday | EGYNews (Arabic)
Israel urges its citizens to leave Sinai | DNE
Algeria calls on Egypt to show restraint and to renounce violence | Shorouk (Arabic)
Foreign ministry condemns ‘Iranian interference’ in Egyptian affairs | DNE
Russia urges Egypt to hold fair elections | Reuters
Turkish correspondents detained in Egypt | Anadolu Agency
Hamas shaken and cautious after Egyptian upheaval | Reuters
African Union appoints panel on Egypt | SIS
China calls on Egypt to renounce violence and to achieve social stability | Shorouk (Arabic)
Jordan Islamists condemn Egypt ‘massacre’ | Ahram Online
Sudanese Islamists protest outside Egypt’s embassy | Ahram Online