Who holds powers in Egypt?
Author: Nehal El-Sherif
Cairo (dpa) - When he took office in July as Egypt's first civilian and Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi seemed to have very limited powers, mainly over administrative and domestic affairs. Now, he has sweeping powers and has decreed that his decisions will be immune to legal challenge.
Here are some details on which bodies and individuals holds which powers in Egypt:
PRESIDENT MOHAMMED MORSI - When he assumed power, the then ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) had all legislative powers, since the People's Assembly, which would normally pass legislation, had been dissolved by a court decision in June. SCAF also controlled both the military and civil budgets.
In August, Morsi granted himself full legislative powers, and sidelined SCAF.
In his latest decree, Morsi stated that all constitutional declarations, laws and decisions issued by him since he took office were "final and unchallengeable" by any individual or court until a new constitution is ratified and a new parliament elected. He also has the "power to take all necessary measures and procedures" against any potential threat to the revolution, national unity or security.
He barred any court from dissolving the Islamist-dominated constituent assembly and gave it another two months to finalize the draft constitution. He also gave the upper house of parliament, the Shura Council, immunity against dissolution by the judiciary.
THE JUDICIARY:
The president's relations with the judiciary have been strained since he assumed office. There are several key components:
- The SUPREME CONSTITUTIONAL COURT: Its members have been accused of being Mubarak appointees, and have been in battles with Morsi since June, when the court issued a ruling dissolving the Islamist-dominated parliament shortly before the July elections.
The court was due on Sunday to hear a case calling for the constitutional assembly to be struck down. Morsi's decree strips it of any power to dissolve the assembly. The head of the court has said that it will hear the case all the same.
- The SUPREME JUDICIAL COUNCIL: It handles administrative affairs and judicial appointments. Its members are mainly the heads of the different courts in Egypt, and it is headed by the president of the Court of Cassation. In the latest crisis, the council called upon Morsi to back down, but its members declined to back the strike called by the Judges Club.
- JUDGES CLUB: It serves social purposes as much as advocating for judicial interests. It took critical stances in the mid-2000s against ousted president Hosny Mubarak on electoral fraud and judicial independence issues. The influential head of the Judges Club, Ahmed Zend, condemned Morsi's latest amendment, and urged all judges to go on strike. Zend has been a fierce critic of Morsi and has said that the latest decision oversteps the judges' jurisdiction and independence.
PARLIAMENT:
The lower house of parliament, known as the PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY, has legislative powers in Egypt. However, the Islamist-dominated assembly, elected earlier this year, was dissolved in June, after the court said the electoral law was unconstitutional. A few days after taking office, Morsi issued a decree ordering the People's Assembly to reconvene. However, the Supreme Constitutional Court reversed that ruling, saying its decisions were "final and not subject to appeals." Morsi backed down shortly thereafter.
The upper house of parliament, known as the SHURA COUNCIL, has very limited powers. According to the 2011 interim constitution, it can recommend measures to preserve national unity and social peace, in addition to rights, freedoms and general obligations. The council considers general planning for economic and social development, draft laws as well as issues the president refers to the council on policies related to the state or foreign affairs. The council's opinions are not binding upon the president or the People's Assembly.
THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY:
The 100-member panel was selected by parliament before its dissolution. It too is dominated by Islamists, and at least 20 members, mostly secular and liberal, have withdrawn over the past months. Morsi's constitutional declaration on November 22 bars the Constituent Assembly from being dissolved by the judiciary.
