CAIRO: Mohamed Ghozlan is a young website designer in Egypt. He has little work these days, as his clients are struggling financially, but he has hope for the country, both politically and economically. “We are at a low, probably the lowest since the revolution,” the young 29-year-old professional told Bikyamasr.com on Tuesday morning. “The elections showed Egyptians can and will vote, but now we face so much trouble because of the military.” He said that the future of Egypt will depend on how the country deals with this impasse. The young man, who has been participating in protests for the past 17 months, argued that “democracy is the future, but at the same time we cannot have the military controlling our lives and the government.” For him, the past week's turmoil can be something for the positive. He argued that “Egypt and Egyptians can come together. There was no violence between groups in the country and this should be seen as a good thing, because it means we can disagree and do so properly.” The past 8 months in Egypt have seen numerous bloody clashes between protesters and the military and police, but young people, middle-class Egyptians like Ghozlan, feel the situation is changing. “There is now a common goal among people and they no longer want to just protest, we want to create change and force the military out,” he added. But like many young activists, how to do so is becoming increasingly difficult. “We have to get imaginative and use our weight with money to change the system. The military understands power, and we have power with our money and what we buy. We need to force them out,” he argued. But the turmoil could affect the future of the country, and Ghozlan and others want the military out, and they claim a coup has been established that makes it difficult. The Supreme Constitutional Court ruled last Thursday that one-third of parliament seats are void, as they had been reserved for independent candidates, but saw party affiliates win. The court also ruled to keep old regime loyalists and election finalist Ahmed Shafiq in the presidential race, after it argued the political isolation law, or “Azl", was “unconstitutional." The declaration grants back power to head of SCAF Hussein Tantawi, who is also the Minister of Defense. Egyptian activists are calling the moves a “military coup" and the deceleration “another step in cementing a lingering presence [of the military] and a hold over public life by the military." The declaration states that the elected president will give his oath in front of the general assembly of the high constitutional court. Until Egyptians vote for another parliament, the SCAF will hold control of the country and its government. SCAF said they wish and aim to hand over power to an elected civil power, following the elections, yet they will remain at the top of the power chain until the legislative body is in place. The declaration states that the president cannot declare war before the approval of the council. In case of riots or national security issues, the president can call on the army to intervene to “protect public property and ensure stability." The declaration has united Egyptians in rejecting it and the military junta, arguing that the SCAF are granting themselves uncontrolled power over the country Influential public figure Mohamed ElBaradie called it “a contentious for the militarization of the country and a lapse to the revolution."
