Egypt: Two massive rival marches planned for Tuesday in Cairo

Anti-Morsy protests in Cairo

After Egypt’s President’s Mohamed Morsy’s controversial Constitutional Declaration and the decision to put the referendum on the draft of the Constitution issued by the Islamist-led Constituent Assembly and rejected by the oppositional powers the protests continue in the country. Saturday’s so called National Dialog which has actually gathered Morsy’s supporters and some prominent figures and was boycotted by the oppositional forces brought as a result the new Presidential Decree, but the referendum was not cancelled as the opposition has been demanding. In addition to that Mohamed Morsy has also issued a decision to significantly increase the taxes in the country which sparked more anger and protests.

Both the opponents of Egypt’s President and of Muslim Brotherhood and the supporters have been planning the massive marches on Tuesday, 11 December 2012, to express their demands and voice their ideas regarding the Constitutional draft and the upcoming national referendum on it.

As opposition which includes predominantly liberals, leftists, seculars and moderates rejects the draft of the Constitution and considers it being unacceptable to vote for such an “unrepresentative” and undemocratic Constitution which was written by the Islamist-led Constituent Assembly, the country’s recently established National Salvation Front and several oppositional parties, organizations and powers are planning at least six oppositional rallies.

It’s also worth mentioning that anti-Morsy protesters demanding the cancellation of the referendum still occupy Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square and also hold the peaceful sit-in in front of Presidential Palace located in Heliopolis.

The planned six marches will start from different downtown districts in Cairo and will lead to the Presidential Palace.

Egypt’s opposition is protesting against Morsy’s latest Constitutional Declarations and also against the unrepresentative Constitution and calls for either boycotting the referendum or for at least voting against the draft. They also accuse Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsy of turning into the dictator and claim Muslim Brotherhood is trying to hijack the Revolution and to grab all the powers in the country.

The members of the National Salvation Front, Egyptian Popular Current, Constitution Party, Revolutionary Socialists, Socialist Popular Alliance and many other powers are planning to participate in the Tuesday’s marches and have issued the joint statement regarding the current state of affairs and the planned demonstrations.

Anti-Morsy protests and sit-in in front of Presidential Palace

Meanwhile, Morsy’s supporters are also planning their marches to support President’s decisions and to urge the people to vote on the referendum for the Constitution. According to the information revealed on the Muslim Brotherhood’s official website, two marches will be held on Tuesday in Cairo to support presidential decisions and to voice the “legitimacy” of the Constitution.

The marches are planned to take place in Cairo’s Nasr City and the demonstrators claim they will not lead to the Presidential Palace which is already occupied by the anti-Morsy protesters. Last Wednesday Islamist demonstrators marching to the Presidential Palace to support President have reportedly attacked the oppositional sit-in leaving several deaths and numerous injured.

Islamist rally is supposed to voice their support of Mohamed Morsy’s decision and of the draft of the Constitution. They are planning to call for voting “Yes” during the referendum, to accept and approve the Constitution and to help the country move out of the transitional period into the direction of development and stability, according to their statements.

The Islamist rallies have been also planned in several major Egyptian cities too.

However, one of the most prominent Islamist powers in Egypt, Salafist Al-Nour Party, has announced they are not planning to attend the marches as they will conduct the active work in the streets among the people to urge them to support the Constitutional draft on the referendum.