Protests In Egypt As Muslim Brotherhood President Morsi Claims Sweeping New Powers

CNN reports:

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy on Sunday defended his unilateral assumption of a host of new powers, though his insistence the moves are temporary didn't quell the furor of those who now call him a dictator. In an edict announced Thursday, Morsy declared Egypt's courts could not overturn any decision or law he has issued since taking office in June and for the coming six months until a new constitution is finalized, his spokesman said on state-run TV... "There is no room for compromise. If he wants a dialogue, he has to rescind these measures," said Mohammed ElBaradei, a Nobel laureate and head of Egypt's Constitution Party, who ran against Morsy for president. Such dissension is rife in Egypt as thousands have hit the streets in recent days to decry what they call an undemocratic power grab by Morsy, who is his nation's first president since longtime leader Hosni Mubarak was ousted amid a popular uprising. The Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement that has become Egypt's leading political force after being banned under Mubarak, has rallied in support of Morsy, its former leader, as have many allied conservatives... Tarek El-Sehari, a Salafist and deputy chairman of Egypt's upper house of parliament, the Shura Council, called the decree a necessity since Mubarak-appointed judges and prosecutors haven't adequately punished members of the former regime, have protected groups like those drafting the constitution and "have indulged in thuggery and hooliganism," state-run Al-Ahram reported Sunday.

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