CAIRO: With Egypt's Parliament scheduled to meet on Tuesday after President Mohamed Morsi issued a presidential decree ordering the members back to work, a statement by the Supreme Constitutional Court late Monday has set the stage for a battle for power in the country. The court, which on June 14 ruled that one-third of Parliament members had won independent spots on the Lower House illegally, voiding their positions, and ostensibly dissolving the legislative body, argued that their rulings were “binding” and the president could not appeal or overrule them. “All the rulings and decisions of the Supreme Constitutional Court are final and not subject to appeal … and are binding for all state institutions,” the court said in a statement. Still, Parliament is to reconvene for the first time in a month in what is expected to begin a turbulent time in Egypt's transition from military rule to civilian authority after the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) handed over power to Morsi on June 30. But the move has done little to ease tension in the country, with activists and observers telling Bikyamasr.com that they fully expect the military to continue to try and exert their power. On Monday in Suez, they did just that, convicting at least 10 activists who had participated in protests to jail terms, a move that had activists angry. Police then attacked a demonstration outside the courthouse, violently assaulting a number of those who had gathered, including family members of those jailed. The rulings have only heightened tensions, which are only to become more intense on Tuesday after when Parliament attempts to hold its session. According to the state-run MENA news agency, Parliament Speaker Saad al-Katatni “has called on parliament to convene at 2:00 PM on Tuesday.” In Morsi's decree, issued over the weekend, he says new parliamentary elections would take place within two month upon the approval by referendum of a new constitution and new stipulations regarding parliament. The constitution, however, has also seen controversy, after the military council, before relinquishing power, set up a Constituent Assembly to draft the document. Many view the move as an attempt to entrench their power, which has already seen the armed forces outside Morsi's direct control. The military's leadership held an “emergency meeting” on Monday to discuss the matters affecting the country, state television reported, but no details of that meeting have been publicized. Activists fear the military's moves ahead of the June 16-17 presidential run-off, of which Morsi was victorious, were a military coup that will see the armed forces continue to dominate the country's political sphere, despite giving up power and control of the country. They ague the SCAF has made certain they can dissolve the parliament and remove the president when they deem fit, with a number of observers pointing to how Turkey's military in the 1970s and 1980s functioned. Either way, Tuesday will be a telling moment for the future of Egypt's democratic project, and with tension growing, Morsi is likely to attempt to diffuse dissent and fear of the country's future.
