Morsi sworn in as Egypt's president, promises new era Egypt's 5th head of state launches power struggle with military.... back

posted on Sat, 30 Jun at 02:47

Islamist Mohammed Morsi became Egypt's first freely elected president on Saturday, launching his four-year term with a potentially dangerous quest to wrest back from the military the full authority of his office.....


The outcome of the impending battle between Egypt's first civilian president and its powerful generals will redraw the country's political landscape after 60 years of de facto military rule.

If Morsi succeeds, the Muslim Brotherhood will likely be emboldened to press ahead with realizing the longtime goal of making Egypt an Islamic state. Otherwise the military — which has been reluctant to give up the power it assumed after Hosni Mubarak's ousting — will continue its stranglehold on the country for years, maybe decades, to come.

For Egypt's estimated 82 million people, the prospect of a continuing battle between the military and the Brotherhood, the country's largest political group, will only prolong the political instability that has rocked their nation since Mubarak's ousting last year. Egyptians have seen the initial euphoria following the revolution turn into a wave of pessimism amid a declining economy, rising crime and a seemingly endless wave of protests, strikes and sit-ins.....