Morsi signs new constitution into law
2012-12-26 12:05
Cairo - Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi
has signed into law a new Islamist-drafted constitution he says will help end
political turmoil and allow him to focus on fixing the fragile economy.
Anxiety about the deepening economic crisis
has gripped Egypt in past weeks, with many people rushing to take out their
savings from banks and the government imposing new restrictions to reduce
capital flight.
Results announced on Tuesday showed
Egyptians had approved the text with an overwhelming 63.8%, paving the way for
a parliamentary election in about two months.
The win gives Islamists their third
straight electoral victory since veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak was toppled in
a 2011 revolution, following their earlier wins in parliamentary and
presidential elections.
Painful divisions
The presidency said Morsi signed a decree
enforcing the charter late on Tuesday after the official announcement of the
result of a referendum approving the basic law, Egypt's first constitution
since Mubarak's overthrow.
The text has sharpened painful divisions in
the Arab world's most populous nation and prompted often violent protests on
the streets of Cairo.
Opposition groups condemn the new basic law
as too Islamist and undemocratic, saying it could allow clerics to intervene in
the lawmaking process and leave minority groups without proper legal
protection.
But Morsi, catapulted into power by his
Islamist allies, believes adopting the text is key to ending a protracted period
of turmoil and uncertainty that has wrecked the economy.
He argues the constitution offers enough
protection to all groups, saying many Egyptians are fed up with street protests
that have prevented a return to normality and distracted the government from
focusing on the economy.
An atmosphere of crisis has deepened in
Egypt since the vote, with many Egyptians rushing to take out cash from banks
and hoarding hard currency savings at home.
Violent protests
Sharpening people's concerns, the
authorities imposed currency controls to prevent capital flight. Leaving or
entering Egypt with more than $10,000 cash is now banned.
Rocked by often violent protests in the run
up to the two-stage referendum this month, Cairo was calm, with only a small
group of protesters burning tyres overnight.
Morsi's government says its opponents are
damaging the economy by prolonging political upheaval. It has pledged to impose
unpopular tax increases and spending cuts to win a loan package from the
International Monetary Fund.
Adding to the government's long list of
worries, Communications Minister Hany Mahmoud resigned from his post citing his
"inability to adapt to the government's working culture".
The United States, which provides billions
of dollars a year in military and other support for Egypt and sees it as a
pillar of security in the Middle East, called on Egyptian politicians to bridge
divisions and on all sides to reject violence.
"President Morsi, as the
democratically elected leader of Egypt, has a special responsibility to move
forward in a way that recognises the urgent need to bridge divisions,"
State Department spokesperson Patrick Ventrell said.
