CAIRO, Dec 7, 2012 (AFP)
CAIRO, Dec 7, 2012 (AFP)
Egypt President Mohamed Morsi “could accept to delay the referendum” on a draft constitution disputed by the opposition, if there are no legal consequences to such a decision, Vice-President Mahmud Mekki said.
Mr Morsi would consider postponing the plebiscite on the contested charter if the opposition guaranteed not to challenge the move on the grounds that referendums legally have to be held two weeks after being formally presented to the president, Mr Mekki said.
Mass protests this week over the referendum, and over sweeping powers Mr Morsi decreed himself last month, turned bloody on Wednesday when pro- and anti-Morsi protesters clashed in Cairo, killing seven people and wounding hundreds.
Mr Morsi on Thursday defiantly addressed the nation by saying he was going ahead with the referendum scheduled for December 15, stating that afterwards “everyone must follow its will.”
But more than 10,000 protesters gathered around his presidential palace late on Friday for another demonstration, pushing back soldiers protecting the compound and calling for Morsi to step down.
The scenes recalled those of February 2011 when a popular uprising led to the ouster of Mr Morsi’s predecessor, strongman Hosni Mubarak.
