CAIRO: Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) announced on Monday the formation of a National Defense Council with a majority of military men in charge. The council will be in charge of national security and its power granted to the military. The council will be headed by the president and will include 16 figures, 11 military personnel and five civilians. The council is expected to create a storm of anger among Egyptians, who are still opposing to the new amended constitutional declaration the military issued on Sunday and in it, it grants itself greater powers and minimizes the president's power and authority. The declaration was called a “military coup” by activists and rights workers. They see it as an other step in militarizing the country. The new president will be sworn in by the Supreme Constitutional Court instead of the lower house of the parliament. The Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi has claimed victory in the presidential run-off, although official results are not due until Thursday. The tension and frustration began last Thursday, when the Supreme Constitutional Court appears to have dissolved parliament and annulled the political isolation law, granting former regime loyalists a chance to return to public life and politics.
