AFTER long weeks of confirmations and denials, the presidency has announced Vice-President Mahmoud Mekki's resignation. Mekki says he has resigned because his personality as a judge doesn't sit well with political work. His step has met with different reactions from the public, some of whom consider it of no significance as it came just a day before the second stage of the referendum on the Constitution. If the Constitution is endorsed, the post of Vice-President will no longer exist. What is revealing about his resignation is not its timing but the fact that Mekki had been trying repeatedly to quit his job since November 7. The acceptance of his resignation was continually delayed because of the escalation in the political tension following the issuing of the November 22 decree. Although Mekki disagreed with the decree, he continued working on dialogue between the presidency and the opposition powers, in order to defuse the tension in the street. At the time, Mekki's resignation was interpreted as opposition to the decree and the President's insistence on submitting the controversial draft Constitution to a referendum. The presidency, therefore, denied that Mekki was going to resign, undermining the credibility of this institution. Announcements of resignations, followed by denials, seem to be all the rage these days. If Central Bank Governor Farouq el-Oqda were to resign, this would not only affect the image of the presidency but could also upset the country's sensitive economic and monetary situation. El-Oqda has neither denied nor confirmed his resignation, despite the Cabinet denials. However, loss of confidence in the official denials about the resignations of certain senior officials is a source of concern in financial and monetary circles, which are wondering about the reasons for this. Could it be due to the economic hardship the country is facing or might it be in objection to policies of the executive authority, thereby deepening instability in the country? Then, there was the recent resignation of Public Prosecutor Talaat Abdullah, in response to a general strike and sit-in organised by prosecutors in objection to Abdullah's interference in their work. After announcing his resignation and his disagreeing with the way he was appointed by presidential decree, Abdullah swiftly withdrew his resignation and said he wanted to carry on working. It seems that Abdullah's latest stand, whether it came under pressure from any authority or not, will further anger the judges, especially the Public Prosecution. The series of resignations will surely not end with the endorsement of the Constitution, opposed by various factions.
