Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Deadlines loom for Egypt's Morsy

A deadline looms Tuesday for Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy, and another hangs over his head for Wednesday. Opposition protesters are threatening to march on Cairo's presidential palace, if Morsy does not step down Tuesday evening. So far, he has given no indication that he will do so. But that is no surprise. What's unclear is what happens Wednesday. That's when a 48-hour deadline imposed by the Egypt's military expires.Appearing to throw its weight behind the opposition that has swarmed Cairo's Tahrir Square, the military told Morsy's government it has until Wednesday evening to "meet the demands of the people," or it will step in to restore order. But the army stopped short of saying that it was suggesting a coup. The ultimatum was meant to push all factions toward quick solutions and a national consensus, and the armed forces aren't looking to be part of the political or ruling circles, a spokesman, Col. Ahmed Ali, said in a written statement Monday. While insisting they want no direct role in national politics, the generals appeared instead to be pressuring Egypt's first freely elected president to restructure his government. The steps could include reducing the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in his Cabinet and calling early presidential and parliamentary elections, a source close to highly placed members of Egypt's leadership told CNN.

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