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Egyptian prez-elect Morsi moves into Mubarak's old office

Cairo: As Mohammed Morsi moved Monday into the presidential office last occupied by Hosni Mubarak, the contours emerged Monday of a backroom deal that led Egypt's powerful military council to bless the Islamist as the country's first freely elected head of state.

The complex web of issues still to be hammered out range from what to do about the dissolved parliament and the drafting of a new constitution to who will head the Cabinet and hold the key defence and foreign ministries.

Still, the country breathed a sigh of relief that at least the question of who won the presidential runoff had been resolved on Sunday when Egypt's election commission officially recognised the 60-year-old US-trained engineer as the first civilian and the first Islamist to hold the post.

People returned to work a day after a panic sent many home early for fear that violence might erupt when the winner was announced. Traffic was flowing again through Cairo's Tahrir Square, the birthplace of last year's uprising, which had been blocked by Morsi supporters protesting against the military's power grab.

Morsi's (2L) recognition as president-elect does not resolve the larger standoff between the generals and his Muslim Brotherhood over the institutions of government. AFP

Newspapers were brimming with upbeat headlines, after a week of rumours and scaremongering. "Morsi president on orders from the people: The revolution reaches the presidential palace," said a banner headline in independent daily Al-Shorouk.

Still, Morsi's recognition as president-elect does not resolve the larger standoff between the generals and his Muslim Brotherhood over the institutions of government.

After the generals stripped the presidency of most of its major powers in recent weeks, Morsi takes office without a clear picture of his authorities or what he can do to resolve Egypt's most pressing issues, including restoring stability and security, and improving the struggling economy.

Morsi narrowly defeated Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's last prime minister and a former air force general, in a race that deeply polarised the nation and threatened to unleash violent protests. Now he faces a daunting struggle for power with the still-dominant military rulers who took over after Mubarak's ouster in the uprising.

State TV showed footage of Morsi meeting Monday with the ruling military council headed by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who was Mubarak's defence minister for 20 years. The TV quoted Tantawi as saying the military will "stand by the elected, legitimate president and will cooperate with him for the stability of the country."


Lawmakers and mediators were tightlipped about the details of the negotiations, although they acknowledged that a few round of talks with the generals took place last week and are ongoing — a sign that much remains undone.

"There is a political settlement initiative that takes everyone's concerns into account," said Muslim Brotherhood member and lawmaker Sobhi Saleh.

But deep mistrust remains. The ruling generals have stacked their side with a maze of legal tools that strengthen their negotiating position, while the Brotherhood must tread softly: The talks can easily blow up into wider social discontent if the Islamist group appears to be looking out only for its own partisan interests and trying to entrench its grip on power.

Emad Abdel-Ghaffour, the head of the ultraconservative Islamist party Al-Nour, said in the week between the 16-17 June presidential runoff and the announcement of the winner on Sunday, many politicians tried to mediate between the Islamists and the generals.


As polls closed on 17 June, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces announced constitutional amendments that shocked the Brotherhood and many other political activists who took part in the uprising 16 months ago.

The ruling generals gave themselves sweeping powers that undercut the authority of the president. That followed a government decision that granted military police broad powers to detain civilians. The military council, which promised to transfer power to an elected leader by 1 July, said the moves were designed to fill a power vacuum and ensure that the president doesn't monopolise decision-making until a new constitution is drafted.

Two days before the runoff, a court packed with judged appointed by the Mubarak regime also dissolved the country's first freely elected parliament, which was dominated by Islamists. The military council followed by declaring it was now in charge of legislating.









The stickier issue of drafting the constitution was also raised as well as fears over who controls the key foreign and defence ministries. The generals' new declaration ensures the military appoint the defence minister and control all issues regarding military personnel.


In the recent power grab, the ruling generals gave themselves, the prime minister, judges or a fifth of the panel members the right to veto details of the constitution that will be drafted, curbing the powers of Islamists to control the process. The parliament-formed panel is expected to meet today, and Abdel-Ghaffour said it is expected to continue its work.


Brotherhood officials said protests will continue until the military responds to their demands.