2013 Egyptian political crisis

After ongoing public protests in Egypt against President Mohamed Morsi, Minister of Defense General Abdul Fatah Khalil Al-Sisi announced on 3 July 2013 the removal of the president, and the suspension of the constitution. Al-Sisi declared Adly Mansour as the interim president of Egypt. Morsi was put under house arrest and Muslim Brotherhood leaders were arrested. The announcement was followed by demonstrations and clashes between supporters and opponents of the coup throughout Egypt. The announcement was followed by a statement made by the Grand Sheikh of Al Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Coptic Pope Tawadros II as well as opposition leader Mohamed El Baradei.

On 30 June 2013, on the first anniversary of the election of Morsi, millions of protesters across Egypt took to the streets and demanded the immediate resignation of the president. Reasons for demanding Morsi's resignation include but are not limited to accusations that his rule was increasingly authoritarian, he was pushing through an Islamist agenda without regard to secular opponents and he failed to keep order with open sexual assaults on women taking place in Egypt's streets. The demonstrations, which had been largely peaceful, turned violent when five anti-Morsi protesters were killed in separate clashes and shootings. At the same time, supporters of Morsi staged a rally in Nasr City, a district of Cairo.

On the morning of 1 July, anti-Morsi protesters ransacked the national headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo. Protesters threw objects at windows and looted the building, making off with office equipment and documents. The Health and Population Ministry confirmed the deaths of eight people who had been killed in clashes around the headquarters in Mokattam. On 3 July, the Ministry of Health and Population stated that 16 pro-Morsi demonstrators had been killed in an attack at another rally. During the same time as the anti-government protests were on-going, there were also other smaller pro-Morsi protests.

The situation escalated to a full-blown national political and constitutional crisis, with Morsi refusing the military's demands for him to leave power and the army threatening to take over if the civilian politicians did not resolve the situation. On the night of 3 July, the Egyptian military came out with a statement announcing the end of Mohammed Morsi's presidency. In the same statement, the military announced that the constitution was temporarily suspended, that a presidential election would be held soon, the chief justice of the constitutional court, Adly Mansour, is now head of the government and that a transitional technocratic government would be formed until the election.

Background
In February 2011, Hosni Mubarak was ousted after 18 days of mass demonstrations that ended his 29-year rule of Egypt. In June 2012, Mohamed Morsi won the presidential election to become the first democratically elected president of Egypt. His rule has been subject to ongoing protests. In late June, mass demonstrations were planned by Tamarod, a grassroots movement that claimed it had collected more than 22 million signatures from a petition calling for Morsi to step down as president. Tamarod was founded in April 2013 by the members of the Egyptian Movement for Change, which was formed in 2004 to push for political reform under the rule of former president Hosni Mubarak.

At a June 15 conference Morsi called for foreign intervention in Syria. According to Yasser El-Shimy, analyst with the International Crisis Group, this statement crossed "a national security red line". The army rebuked this statement the next day by stating that its only role was to guard Egypt's borders. Although the Egyptian constitution ostensibly declares the president as the supreme commander of the armed forces, the Egyptian military is independent of civilian control.

On Friday 28 June, protests against incumbent president Morsi started to build throughout Egypt including in such cities as Cairo, Alexandria, Daqahliyah, Gharbiya and Aswan as a "warm up" for the massive protests expected on 30 June. Pro-Morsi supporters such as the Legitimacy Support Alliance started counter demonstrations at Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square in Nasr City.

The largest protests were planned for 30 June. Prior to the protests, Christians, particularly in Upper Egypt, received threats pressuring them not to take part in the protests. Sheikh Essam Abdulamek, a member of parliament's Shura Council, said in an interview on television that Christians should not participate in the protests and warned them "do not sacrifice your children [since the] general Muslim opinion will not be silent about the ousting of the president."

Protests


Tamarod had given President Mohammed Morsi until 17:00 (15:00 GMT) to resign or face a civil disobedience campaign. In turn, this gave rise to nationwide protests in the country and led to the military giving president Mohammed Morsi an ultimatum to resign as president of Egypt on 2 July. At the same time, there were smaller counter-protests by supporters of the ruling Islamist alliance.

In Cairo, millions of demonstrators gathered in Tahrir Square and outside the presidential palace, while other demonstrations were held in the cities of Alexandria, Port Said and Suez.

On the morning of 1 July, anti-Morsi protesters ransacked and burned the national headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo. Protesters threw objects at windows and looted the building, making off with office equipment and documents. The health ministry confirmed the deaths of eight people who had been killed in clashes around the headquarters in Mokattam. In Cairo and Alexandra, some police officers wearing their uniforms joined the anti-Morsi protests and chanted: "The police and the people are one."

On 2 July, opponents and supporters of Morsi gathered in the capital, Cairo, as the deadline set by the protest group for him to leave power passed. Helicopters were also present around Cairo with armored vehicles taking up positions. Government television claimed unidentified gunmen opened fire on a pro-Morsi rally in Cairo, killing 16 and wounding 200 according to the health ministry.

As the deadline approached on 3 July, there was renewed expectation of an increase in violence, according to the media. As in other days, there were pro-Morsi protests, particularly in Nasr City and near Cairo University. Army tanks were reported to surround two smaller pro-Morsi rallies as the demonstrators vowed to defend the government with their lives.

Response
On 1 July, the Egyptian Armed Forces issued a 48-hour ultimatum that gave the country's political parties until 3 July to meet the demands of the Egyptian people. The Egyptian military also threatened to intervene if the dispute was not resolved by then. Four ministers also resigned on the same day: Tourism Minister Hisham Zazou (who previously offered to resign a few months ago after Morsi appointed an Islamist, a member of al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya , a terrorist organization responsible of the Luxor massacre , as governor of Luxor), Communication and IT Minister Atef Helmi, State Minister for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Hatem Bagato and State Minister for Environmental Affairs Khaled Abdel Aal, leaving the government with only members of the Freedom and Justice Party.

On 2 July Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr also resigned, in support of the anti-government protesters. The presidency rejected the Egyptian Army's 48-hour ultimatum, vowing that the president would pursue his own plans for national reconciliation to resolve the political crisis. Defense Minister General Abdul Fatah Khalil Al-Sisi was also said to have told Morsi that he would impose a military solution if a political one could not be found by the next day.

Incidentally, the Egyptian court of cassation ordered the reinstatement of former general prosecutor Abdel Maguid Mahmoud who was replaced with Talaat Abdallah following the constitutional declaration on 22 November 2012. The Presidency spokesman and the spokesman for the cabinet resigned as well.

On 2 July, the newspaper Al-Ahram reported that if there were no resolution the military would suspend the constitution of Egypt and appoint a new council of experts to draft a new one, institute a three-person executive council and appoint a prime minister from the military. Morsi's military advisor, Sami Hafez Anan, also resigned and said that the army would not "abandon the will of the people."

In a late-night television address Morsi declared that he would "defend the legitimacy of his elected office with his life". He added that "there is no substitute for legitimacy" as he vowed not to resign. Morsi accused supporters of Hosni Mubarak of exploiting the wave of protests to topple the government and fight democracy. Military leaders also issued a statement entitled "The Final Hours", in which they said that they were willing to shed their blood against "terrorists and fools" supporting Morsi's refusal to step down from office.

As the 16:35 deadline set by the army approached, military leaders met for emergency talks, with the expectation that the army would issue a statement when the deadline passed. Mohamed El-Baradei, who was chosen to represent the National Salvation Front, was also said to have met army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. On 3 July, just before the deadline approached, Morsi offered to form a consensus government. An army statement read: "The General Command of the Armed Forces is currently meeting with a number of religious, national, political and youth icons...There will be a statement issued from the General Command as soon as they are done." At the same time the Freedom and Justice Party's senior leader, Waleed al-Haddad, said: "We do not go to invitations (meetings) with anyone. We have a president and that is it."

Coup d'état
On July 3, General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, head of the Egyptian Armed Forces, announced that he had removed president Mohamed Morsi from power, suspended the constitution and would be calling new elections. Military vehicles drove throughout Cairo. Morsi was put under house arrest, and was believed to be at the Republican Guard barracks. According to other sources he was taken to a military base and his travel was restricted. Army troops and tanks were reported to have surrounded key facilities and installations. al-Sisi named former Chief Justice Adli Mansour as the interim president and added that he will be sworn in on 4 July.

General al-Sisi said that: "The president’s speech last night failed to meet and conform with the demands [of the people, prompting the armed forces to consult] with some of the symbols of the national forces and the youths without excluding anyone. [They agreed on a road map] that includes initial steps that realize the building of a strong and coherent Egyptian society that does not exclude any of its sons and currents and that end the state of conflict and division." He added the army was standing apart from the political process but was using its vision as the Egyptian people were calling for help and discharged its responsibility.

Morsi condemned his removal as a "full coup" by the general. He also urged everyone to " adhere to peacefulness and avoid shedding blood of fellow countrymen." The Office of Assistant to President of Egypt on Foreign Relations called Morsi's removal a "military coup", and said "there is no democracy without the ballot box".

The announcement of the coup was met with cheers in Tahrir Square. Anti-Morsi protesters shouted "God is great" and "Long live Egypt" and launched fireworks as green laser lights held by those in the crowd lit the sky. Mohammed el-Baradei says the coup was to rectify the issues of the revolution. The Coptic Pope Tawadros II, Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb, Mohammed ElBaradei and some of the youth leaders of Tamarod Mahmoud Badr and Mohamed Abdelaziz, spoke in support of the military intervention. The al-Nour party also commented in saying that the events occurred as they were not heard in their call for dialogue. Pro-Morsi protesters heard a statement from Morsi, which was published on his Facebook page. He called the move a coup and rejected the Armed Forces' statement.

The Freedom and Justice Party's Gamal Heshmat said: "There is absolutely no direction toward violence. The Brotherhood are not raised on violence. Their cause is a peaceful one, defending their rights, which is stronger than a military coup. [The army had perpetrated a]shameful coup. We are still in the street, we still don't know if all of the armed forces will accept what Sisi has done."

Arrests
The army arrested the head of Freedom and Justice Party and top leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Jazeera quoted unnamed security officials saying that "more than a dozen" members of the Muslim Brotherhood had been arrested, while Al-Ahram reported that the Egyptian police had been ordered to arrest more than 300 members of the Muslim Brotherhood. A travel ban was also put on Morsi, the head of his Muslim Brotherhood Mohammed Badie, Badie's deputy Khairat el-Shater, the Muslim Brotherhood's former leader Mahdi Akef, another Muslim Brotherhood figure Mohammed el-Beltagi, Salafi preacher close to the Muslim Brotherhood Safwat Hegazy and the leader of the Al-Wasat Party Abou Ela Madi and his deputy Essam Sultan.

Following Morsi's ouster, pro-Morsi supporters still gathered in Cairo said that they would undo the coup and continued their allegiance to Morsi saying that they would "defend the integrity of the ballot box." Amidst threats of violence, Al Jazeera English reported the death of four people from a Muslim Brotherhood stronghold near the Libyan border.

Media restrictions
Television channels supporting Morsi have been taken off the air by police forces after the military statement. Misr 25, a channel owned by the Muslim Brotherhood, was shut down and officials said that journalists working for the channel were arrested. The Al Hafez and Al Nas channels were shut down as well. A few hours later, Al Jazeera Egypt, which had been criticised for its alleged pro-Morsi slant, was also taken off the air and its employees detained.

Pre-coup

 * Supranational bodies
 * 🇺🇳 United Nations – UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey stated that while most of the protests appear to be peaceful, "the reports of a number of deaths and injuries, of sexual assault against women demonstrators, as well as acts of destruction of property are to be strongly condemned."


 * States
 * Syria — Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said that the political crisis in Egypt could only be overcome if Morsi realizes that an overwhelming majority of his Egyptian people reject his presence and want him removed. On 3 July, he called the Muslim Brotherhood a "terrorist" organisation and a "U.S. tool."
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom — Prime Minister David Cameron stated in the House of Commons on 3 July that: "We should appeal to all sides to stay calm and stop the levels of violence, and particularly sexual assaults", and that it is not for the United Kingdom "to support any single group or party. What we should support is proper democratic processes and proper government by consent."
 * 🇺🇸 United States – President Barack Obama remarked on 1 July in a Press conference in Tanzania that "our number-one priority has been making sure that our embassies and consulates are protected. Number two, what we’ve consistently insisted on is that all parties involved – whether it's members of Mr. Morsi's party or the opposition – that they remain peaceful. And although we have not seen the kind of violence that many had feared so far, the potential remains there, and everybody has to show restraint..."


 * Others
 * Human Rights Watch have alleged there that have been sexual assaults during the protests. In the first three days of the month, women's activists have reported 43 alleged sexual assaults of both foreign and domestic women.

Post-coup

 * Supranational bodies
 * 🇪🇺 European Union - High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said: "I urge all sides to rapidly return to the democratic process, including the holding of free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections and the approval of a constitution, to be done in a fully inclusive manner, so as to permit the country to resume and complete its democratic transition. I hope that the new administration will be fully inclusive and reiterate the importance of ensuring full respect for fundamental rights, freedoms, and the rule of law and will hold the authorities to account for this. I strongly condemn all violent acts, offer my condolences to the families of the victims, and urge the security forces to do everything in their power to protect the lives and well-being of Egyptian citizens. I call on all sides to exercise maximum restraint."
 * 🇺🇳 United Nations - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: "At this moment of continued high tension and uncertainty in the country, the secretary-general reiterates his appeals for calm, non-violence, dialogue and restraint. An inclusive approach is essential to addressing the needs and concerns of all Egyptians. Preservation of fundamental rights, including freedom of speech and assembly remain of vital importance. In their protests many Egyptians have voiced deep frustrations and legitimate concerns. At the same time, military interference in the affairs of any state is of concern. Therefore, it will be crucial to quickly reinforce civilian rule in accordance with principles of democracy."


 * States
 * 🇦🇷 Argentina - The Foreign Ministry issued a statement that read that "the Argentinean government follows with concern the recent events in Egypt that led to the interruption of the democratic process, the destitution of its legitimate authorities, and a complex political and social situation."
 * 🇨🇦 Canada - Foreign Minister John Baird called for "a transparent democratic system that respects the voices of its citizens." A spokesperson for the foreign ministry called the removal of president Morsi a "coup".
 * 🇫🇷 France - Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said: "In a situation that has worsened seriously and with extreme tension in Egypt, new elections have finally been announced, after a transition period. [A timetable should be drawn up respecting] civil peace, pluralism, individual liberties and the achievements of the democratic transition, so that the Egyptian people can freely choose their leaders and their future."
 * 🇩🇪 Germany - Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said: "This is a major setback for democracy in Egypt. It is urgent that Egypt return as quickly as possible to the constitutional order. There is a real danger that the democratic transition in Egypt will be seriously damaged."
 * 🇮🇷 Iran - Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi asked the military government to hold a new election soon. In a statement published by the Foreign Ministry: "Iran will respect to the Egyptian political requirements and it is hoped that the future spatial development will be happen in the interests of the people."
 * 🇮🇱 Israel - Former Ambassador to Egypt Eli Shaked said: "Instability is bad for Israel, period."
 * Palestine - The internationally recognized head of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas called on Palestinians “not to interfere in internal issues of Arab countries," which was read by the media as supportive of the coup.
 * Hamas MP Yahia Moussa said: "The [Hamas] movement does not interfere in Egyptian affairs [and has] no comment on the Egyptian army's decision to isolate President Morsi." Another Hamas leader, Ahmad Yousef, said: "We only care about stability in Egypt regardless of who is in charge."


 * 🇵🇭 Philippines - Presidential spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, advised Filipinos to avoid areas of conflict. Lacierda also assured that the personnel of the Philippine embassy in Cairo will not be pulled out and that the number one concern of the Department of Foreign Affairs, is to ensure the safety of Filipino nationals in Egypt. However, Lacierda refused to comment if the Philippine government supported the ousting of Morsi.
 * 🇷🇺 Russia - The Foreign Ministry issued a statement that read: "We consider it important for all political forces in Egypt to exercise restraint...to consider the broad national interests of their actions, and to prove that they strive to solve the brewing political and socio-economic problems in a democratic framework, without violence, and accounting for the interests of all social groups and religious confessions."
 * 🇶🇦 Qatar - Qatar was reported to be unhappy over the move after it spent about US$10 billion in financial aid towards the Morsi government; while they were said to also be unhappy about the closure of Al Jazeera ' s offices in Cairo. However it is also reported that the new emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani congratulated newly-instated President Mansour.
 * 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia — King Abdullah was the first international head of state to send a message of congratulations to Interim President Adly Mansour. In his message, Abdullah also praised the Egyptian military for its decision to oust Morsi saying. Abdullah saying "[Saudi Arabia] strongly shake hands with the men of all the [Egyptian] armed forces, represented by General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, who managed to save Egypt at this critical moment from a dark tunnel God only could apprehend its dimensions and repercussions, but the wisdom and moderation came out of those men to preserve the rights of all parties in the political process."
 * Syria — President Bashar al-Assad told the newspaper Thawra that "whoever brings religion to use in politics or in favour of one group at the expense of another will fall anywhere in the world. The summary of what is happening in Egypt is the fall of what is called political Islam. You can't fool all the people all the time, let alone the Egyptian people who have a civilisation that is thousands of years old, and who espouse clear, Arab nationalist thought. After a whole year, reality has become clear to the Egyptian people. The Muslim Brotherhood's performance has helped them see the lies the [movement] used at the start of the popular revolution in Egypt.
 * 🇹🇷 Turkey — Hüseyin Çelik, a spokesman for the governing Justice and Development Party and former cabinet member in the Erdoğan administration, condemned the coup as a sign of "backwardness" and accused unnamed Western countries of supporting Morsi's overthrow. "Some Western countries have not accepted Muslim Brotherhood's rise to power. They have mobilized the streets, then issued a memorandum, and are now staging the coup." He also advised Morsi's supporters to avoid bloodshed in response.
 * Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition Republican People's Party, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, also criticised Egypt's military over the coup, "Staging a military coup to design societies is not a correct thing in the 21st century and it shouldn't be accepted."
 * 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates — Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said that his government was "satisfied" with the developments in Egypt. Al Nahyan also praised the Egyptian army as a "strong shield" and a "protector," while expressing confidence that Egypt can overcome the crisis "to reach a safe and prosperous future."
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom - Foreign Secretary William Hague said the United Kingdom "does not support military intervention as a way to resolve disputes in a democratic system." He also called the situation "dangerous" and called on all sides to "avoid violence" and resort to "a political process that includes all groups on an equal footing leading to early and fair elections which all parties are able to contest, and civilian-led government."
 * 🇺🇸 United States — President Barack Obama said he was "deeply concerned" by the actions of Egypt's military and urged a return to democratic governance. He ordered his administration to review United States aid to Egypt.

Syrian state-television carried live coverage of the anti-Morsi protests.
 * Media

The United States media pointed out that Obama did not call the removal of Morsi a coup. If Obama accepts that a coup had taken place, then U.S. law requires him to cut off military and economic aid to Egypt such as previous incidents in Mauritania, Mali, Madagascar and Pakistan. The U.S. funds 20% of Egypt's military costs (US$1.3 billion) and gives another US$250 million in economic aid.

Some parts of the Western media have also referred to this as another "revolution."

Egyptian-Americans, particularly in the Arab-dominated areas of Michigan, had mixed views of the event with some wary of the Muslim Brotherhood, but were also wary of usurping democratic rights following a 30-year "dictatorship."
 * Others

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