* Assembly votes through the night to approve constitution
* Mursi says no place for dictatorship
* Protesters rally in cities across Egypt
* Referendum on constitution may be held by mid-December
By Edmund Blair and Patrick Werr
CAIRO, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Egyptians
protested against President Mohamed Mursi on Friday after an
Islamist-led assembly raced through approval of a new
constitution in a bid to end a crisis over the Islamist leader’s
newly expanded powers.
“The people want to bring down the regime,” they chanted in
Tahrir Square, echoing the chants that rang out in the same
place less than two years ago and brought down Hosni Mubarak.
Mursi said a decree halting court challenges to his
decisions, which sparked eight days of protests and violence by
Egyptians calling him a new dictator, was “for an exceptional
stage” and aimed to speed up the democratic transition.
“It will end as soon as the people vote on a constitution,”
he told state television while the constituent assembly was
still voting on a draft, which the Islamists say reflects
Egypt’s new freedoms. “There is no place for dictatorship.”
But the opposition cried foul. Liberals, leftists,
Christians, more moderate Muslims and others had withdrawn from
the assembly, saying their voices were not being heard.
Even in the mosque where Mursi said Friday prayers some
opponents chanted “Mursi: void” before sympathisers surrounded
him shouting in support, journalists and a security source said.
Tens of thousands gathered across the country, filling
Tahrir Square and hitting the streets in Alexandria and other
cities, responding to opposition calls for a big turnout. Rival
demonstrators clashed after dark in Alexandria and the Nile
Delta town of Al-Mahala Al-Kobra, some hurling rocks in anger.
An opposition leaflet distributed on Tahrir urged protesters
in Cairo to stay overnight before Saturday’s rallies by
Islamists; the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies said they would
avoid the square during their demonstrations backing Mursi.
The disparate opposition, which has struggled to compete
with well-organised Islamists, has been drawn together and
reinvigorated by the crisis. Tens of thousands had also
protested on Tuesday, showing the breadth of public anger.
POTENT MACHINE
But Islamists have a potent political machine and the United
States has looked on warily at the rising power of a group it
once kept at arms length now ruling a nation that has a peace
treaty with Israel and is at the heart of the Arab Spring.
Protesters said they would push for a ‘no’ vote in a
constitutional referendum, which could happen as early as
mid-December. If the new basic law were approved, it would
immediately cancel the president’s decree.
“We fundamentally reject the referendum and constituent
assembly because the assembly does not represent all sections of
society,” said Sayed el-Erian, 43, a protester in Tahrir and
member of a party set up by opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei.
ElBaradei said in a statement the constitution had “lost
legitimacy” and called for ending the polarisation of Egypt.
The plebiscite on the constitution is a gamble based on the
Islamists’ belief they can mobilise voters again after winning
every election held since Mubarak was toppled in February 2011.
Despite the big numbers opposed to him, Mursi can count on
backing from the disciplined Brotherhood and Islamist allies, as
well as many Egyptians who are simply exhausted by the turmoil.
“He just wants us to move on and not waste time in
conflicts,” said 33-year-old Cairo shopkeeper Abdel Nasser
Marie. “Give the man a chance and Egypt a break.”
But Mursi needs the cooperation of judges to oversee the
vote, and many have been angered by a decree from Mursi they
said undermined the judiciary. Some judges are on strike.
The assembly concluded the vote after a 19-hour session,
faster than many expected, approving all 234 articles of the
draft, covering presidential powers, the status of Islam, the
military’s role and human rights. {ID:nL5E8MU7HQ]
It introduces a presidential term limit of eight years –
Mubarak served for 30. It also bring in a degree of civilian
oversight over the military – though not enough for critics.
An Egyptian official said Mursi was expected to approve the
document on Saturday and then has 15 days to hold a referendum.
“This is a revolutionary constitution,” said Hossam
el-Gheriyani, head of the assembly, urging members to campaign
for the new constitution across Egypt, after the all-night
session.
DEEPENING DIVISIONS
Critics argue it is an attempt to rush through a draft they
say has been hijacked by the Muslim Brotherhood, which backed
Mursi for president in a June election, and its Islamist allies.
Two people have been killed and hundreds injured in protests
since the decree was announced on Nov. 22, deepening the divide
between the newly empowered Islamists and their critics.
Seeking to placate opponents, Mursi welcomed criticism but
said there was no place for violence. “I am very happy that
Egypt has real political opposition,” he told state television.
He said Egypt needed to attract investors and tourists. The
crisis threatens to derail a fragile economic recovery after two
years of turmoil. Egypt is waiting for the International
Monetary Fund to finalise a $4.8 billion loan to help it out.
An alliance of opposition groups pledged to keep up protests
and said broader civil disobedience was possible to fight what
it described as an attempt to “kidnap Egypt from its people”.
Several independent newspapers said they would not publish
on Tuesday in protest. One of the papers also said three private
satellite channels would halt broadcasts on Wednesday.
The draft injects new Islamic references into Egypt’s system
of government but keeps in place an article defining “the
principles of sharia” as the main source of legislation – the
same phrase found in the previous constitution.
The president can declare war with parliament’s approval,
but only after consulting a national defence council with a
heavy military and security membership. That was not in the old
constitution, used when Egypt was ruled by ex-military men.
Critics highlighted other flaws, such as articles pertaining
to the rights of women and freedom of speech.
A new parliamentary election cannot be held until a new
constitution is passed. Egypt has been without an elected
legislature since a court order the dissolution of the
Islamist-dominated lower house in June.
