Huge Demonstrations in Egypt Call for President’s Ouster
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AFP/GettyImagesUPDATE: On Monday afternoon, Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces issued a 48-hour ultimatum to President Mohammed Morsi “to meet the demands of the people” or it will intervene. Sunday marked a year to the day after Morsi’s inauguration as Egypt’s first democratically elected president. The Islamist president came to power following the 2011 Egyptian revolution that brought down former President Hosni Mubarak. Now, the same crowds that flooded Cairo’s Tahrir Square in 2011 are calling for Morsi’s removal.
(CAIRO) — The one-year anniversary of Mohammed Morsi becoming Egypt’s president was marked on Sunday not by celebrations but by demonstrations, some of which turned violent in the southern part of the country, with five deaths reported.
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered throughout Egypt on Sunday, including in Cairo’s famed Tahrir Square, to demand that Morsi step down from office.
Protesters say that Morsi, the first Islamist to become an elected leader of an Arab state, has failed to address Egypt’s economic and security problems.
Opposition activists insist more than 22 million people have signed a petition seeking a snap election, although their claim is believed to be overly exaggerated.
Morsi, who came to power about 16 months after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, promised major changes in Egypt, although critics allege his main concern has been attempts to turn the country into an Islamist state.
In one interview, Morsi said that resigning before his term was up would be detrimental to Egypt, and he also refused to hold early presidential elections.
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