The Egyptian People's Assembly, dissolved in mid-June, met briefly Tuesday morning after a decree by President Mohamed Morsi ordering its reinstatement, defying the army and judiciary. According to Saad al-Katatni, the Speaker of the lower house, MPs are not in conflict with the ruling by the Supreme Constitutional Court, which declared the Assembly as invalid. He added that members respected the law and justice.
These recent developments illustrate power struggle between the new president and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). The Muslim Brotherhoods had accused the military junta of masterminding the dissolution of the Islamist-dominated Parliament in order to get legislature powers.
The Supreme Constitutional Court has in turn ensured that it "was not involved in any political struggle" and that its mission was "to protect the Constitution." However, it is still accused by several groups and politicians to be biased.
Meanwhile, the United States called on Egyptian leaders to stick with "democratic principles" out of this confrontation. The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday called for an "intensive dialogue between all parties." "The Egyptians should get what they fought for and those for whom they voted, that an elected government that makes decisions for the country in order to advance," she said.
