Egypt opposition incitement probe

27 December 2012 Last updated at 23:29 GMT (L-R) Hamdeen Sabahi, Amr Mousa and Mohammed ElBaradei had recently formed a coalition against President Mohammed Morsi Egypt's public prosecutor has ordered an inquiry into three prominent opposition leaders.

The men will be investigated over charges they "incited the overthrow" of President Mohammed Morsi.

The three men - Mohamed ElBaradei, Amr Mousa and Hamdeen Sabahi - formed an opposition coalition amid protests against Mr Morsi last month.

There are fears the inquiry may worsen tensions between Mr Morsi's supporters and his opponents.

The three opposition leaders had recently formed a coalition, the National Salvation Front, to take part in protests against Mr Morsi.

Some of those rallies then turned violent when opposition protesters and Mr Morsi's Islamist supporters clashed.

Mr Mousa and Mr Sabahi were both candidates in the presidential election won by Mr Morsi in June.

Also on Thursday, parliamentary affairs minister Mohammed Mahsoub resigned from his post, saying that many of the government's policies "contradict my personal beliefs".

Mr Mahsoub, of the moderate Islamist Wasat party, is the second minister to resign this week.

Sensitive time

The public prosecutor Talaat Ibrahim was appointed by Mr Morsi last month, after his predecessor was sacked.

The move angered senior judges, who saw it as an attack on their authority.

The investigation does not mean that charges will be filed against the opposition leaders, but it comes at a sensitive time, the BBC's Bethany Bell in Cairo reports.

President Morsi temporarily gave himself sweeping new powers last month, and pushed ahead a referendum on a controversial new constitution, sparking a political crisis.

Many judges boycotted supervision of the referendum on the new constitution. Some 63% of voters backed the new charter, although only a third of the electorate voted.

Opponents of the constitution say it is too heavily Islamist in character and that it does not safeguard the rights of women and minorities.

Fresh parliamentary elections are now due to be held within two months.

View the original article here

Egypt expects referendum results

24 December 2012 Last updated at 05:26 GMT Opposition spokesman Amr Hamzawy: "We are asking the commission to investigate the irregularities"

Egypt is due to announce the official results of a referendum on a controversial draft constitution.

Early unofficial results suggested more than 60% of voters said "yes" to the document, which is endorsed by Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

But the opposition, which says the draft favours Islamists, is demanding an inquiry into alleged voting fraud.

Egypt has seen large and occasionally violent demonstrations by the opposing sides in the past few weeks.

If the constitution passes, elections must take place within three months and the deep polarisation in the country is likely to continue, the BBC's Bethany Bell in Cairo reports.

In the meantime, legislative powers would remain with President Morsi.

'Vote for stability'

State media reports of the results following Saturday's second and final round of the referendum suggest that some 63% of voters had backed the charter. Turnout was low, estimated at 30%.

Continue reading the main story

There's a lot at stake here. This document determines Egypt's future and the relationship between Egyptians and the presidency among the other main institutions.”

End Quote Shaimaa Khalil BBC News But the opposition National Salvation Front said on Sunday the vote had been marred by "fraud and violations".

These included polling stations opening late and Islamists seeking to influence voters, they said.

Spokesman Amr Hamzawy told a news conference the front as "asking the commission to investigate the irregularities before announcing official results".

However, another spokesman, Khaled Daoud, told the BBC the front would not contest the result.

The group has complained that there was not enough legal supervision of the referendum, after many judges boycotted the process.

Continue reading the main story Sharia remains the main source of legislationAl-Azhar, Sunni Islam's leading authority, to be consulted on "matters related to Sharia"Christianity and Judaism to be the main source of legislation for Christians and JewsReligious freedom to be limited to Muslims, Christians and Jews Limits president to two four-year terms of officeThe opposition said before the referendum that its campaign would continue in the wake of a "Yes" vote.

But the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, said it hoped the "yes" vote would begin to heal divisions and bring stability.

It remains to be seen whether the announcement of the final results of the referendum will be delayed to allow an investigation of the opposition's claims, our correspondent says.

Critics of the draft constitution fails say it fails to protect the freedoms and human rights that they sought in the uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's rule last year.

They accuse the president of pushing through a text that favours Islamists and does not sufficiently protect the rights of women or Christians, who make up about 10% of the population.

President Morsi's mainly Islamist supporters say the constitution will secure democracy and encourage stability.

The latest unrest began after Mr Morsi issued a decree on 22 November stripping the judiciary of the power to challenge his decisions.

After an outcry, the president revoked much of the decree, but he refused to back down on the draft constitution.

The text was rushed through by a constituent assembly dominated by Islamists.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

View the original article here

Egypt prosecutor offers to resign

17 December 2012 Last updated at 22:31 GMT Judges and other legal officials were reported to be among those who were calling for the resignation Egypt's new public prosecutor has offered to resign from his post after protests about his appointment.

Talaat Ibrahim was appointed by President Mohammed Morsi last month after his predecessor was sacked.

The move prompted anger among members of the judiciary who saw the sacking of Abdel Maguid Mahmoud as an attack on their independence.

Judges and officials had demonstrated outside Mr Ibrahim's office on Monday, called on him to stand down.

Security forces prevented a group of the protesters from going into the office to demand a meeting, state-owned al-Ahram newspaper said.

More than 1,300 judicial workers who had gathered outside his office greeted news of the resignation letter with cries of: "God is Great! Long live justice!", Reuters news agency reports.

Controversial constitution

Mr Ibrahim had been given the job of re-examining all investigations into the deaths of protesters when ex-President Hosni Mubarak was in power.

In his letter of resignation to the Supreme Judicial Council, published by the Mena state news agency, he said he wished to "return to his work in the judicial system".

Mr Ibrahim had been in his job a matter of weeks

His resignation is expected to be presented before the Council next Sunday, a day after a final round of voting in a referendum on Egypt's controversial draft constitution.

The first round of the referendum was held over the weekend, with many judges boycotting supervision of the vote.

Opponents say the constitution has been rushed through and fails to protect the rights of minorities, particularly women.

There are growing tensions between President Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood supporters on one side, and his mainly secular political opponents and the judiciary on the other.

Mr Morsi adopted sweeping new powers in a decree on 22 November, stripping the judiciary of any power to challenge his decisions.

One of his first decisions was to sack Mr Mahmoud - first appointed as chief prosecutor by Mr Mubarak.

The decree spurred nationwide protests and clashes between Mr Morsi's supporters and opponents.

Under pressure, the president revoked the decree but kept the new prosecutor-general in place.

View the original article here