Thousands of Egyptians took to the streets on Friday to protest against a presidential declaration that gave sweeping powers to President Mohammed Mursi, accusing the Muslim Brotherhood leader of attempting to become a "new pharaoh."
Protesters staged rallies in cities and towns across the country, with the largest being held at Cairo's famous Tahrir Square -- the nerve center of last year's popular uprising that eventually ousted the dictatorial regime of former president Hosni Mubarak.
The protests which began peacefully later turned violent, with opponents of the president attacking and vandalizing the offices of the Muslim Brotherhood in the cities of Alexandria, Port Said and Ismailia. There were reports of clashes between police and protesters in several locations, including Cairo.
Witnesses said protesters clashed with riot police in Tahrir Square and other areas in Cairo. Police reportedly fired teargas shells as part of their efforts to disperse the protesters, who responded by throwing rocks and petrol bombs at the security personnel. At least three people were said to be injured in the violence.
The protesters say the powers Mursi gave himself with Thursday's declaration are much greater than those enjoyed by Mubarak before his ouster. They fear that the president's move to assume sweeping powers with immunity from legal challenges might endanger the gains made by last year's popular uprising.
In addition to protests by President's opponents, his supporters also staged rallies to demonstrate their continued backing for the Muslim Brotherhood leader. Addressing his supporters at the presidential palace in Cairo, Mursi defended his move to assume new powers.
Mursi said he was determined to make Egypt a strong and stable nation by leading it on a path to "freedom and democracy." Stressing that Egypt has a "great future," he said: "I am for all Egyptians. I will not be biased against any son of Egypt."
"Political stability, social stability and economic stability are what I want and that is what I am working for. I am the guarantor of that and I will protect for my brothers in the opposition all their rights so they can exercise their role," the president said, adding that he expected a "genuine opposition, a strong opposition" in Egypt.
The developments came a day after President Mursi issued a new constitutional declaration that gave him sweeping powers until a new constitution is approved in a referendum, which is expected to take place mid-February next year.
The declaration stated that all decisions, laws and declarations passed by the president, until a new constitution is in place in the North African nation, "are final and not subject to appeal" by any authority, including the judiciary.
The decree also indicates the Islamist-dominated body engaged in drafting a new constitution as well as the upper house of the country's parliament cannot be dissolved by any authority, including the judiciary. It also gave the 100-member constituent assembly two more months to draft a new constitution to replace the one suspended after the ouster of the Mubarak regime. The assembly was originally scheduled to finish the process of drafting the new constitution by December 5.
Further, the President ordered the retrial of all those charged with killing or injuring protesters during demonstrations held in Cairo's famous Tahrir Square in October as well as all Mubarak-era officials accused of attacking protesters during last year's popular uprising.
Mursi also sacked Prosecutor-General Abdel Maguid Mahmoud, and appointed Talaat Ibrahim as his replacement. Maguid's sacking came a month after 24 Mubarak supporters were acquitted of organizing attacks on anti-government protesters during last year's popular unrest. There were allegations that he had presented a weak case in court against the Mubarak loyalists. Many in Egypt still consider Maguid to a remnant of the Mubarak regime.
Mursi, leader of the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, was sworn in as Egypt's first civilian and freely-elected President on June 30, following the popular uprising that forced Mubarak to step down in February last year after handing over power to the country's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).
Mubarak has since been convicted of complicity in the deaths of anti-government protesters and sentenced to life in prison. About a dozen former Ministers and businessmen with links to the Mubarak regime have been convicted of charges ranging from corruption and money laundering to abuse of authority and squandering state wealth.
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