Constitutional expert describes coup in Egypt as attempt to end democratic system

Well-known constitutional expert Tariq Al-Bishri has described the conflict in Egypt as an attempt to get rid of the constitutional democracy which resulted from the January 25 Revolution. It is not, he insisted, simply a matter of whether the Muslim Brotherhood remains in power or not.

Writing in Al-Shorouk newspaper, Al-Bishri said that the current conflict “is between democracy and a military coup, not between the Brotherhood and its opponents.” He asked whether Egypt is on the brink of a new age of autocratic rule lasting for decades.

If the conflict is simply a battle between the Islamic movement and its opponents, said Al-Bishri, this would have been sorted out by the parliamentarian elections under the 2012 constitution. That would have been followed by the formation of a ministerial council which reflected the real popular strength of each side. “That alone would and could have limited the authority of the president,” he added. “Constitutional democracy was eradicated by the actions of the military leadership and their coup.”