Egypt’s interim rulers issued a elections timetable in efforts to drag the country out of crisis that has claimed 51 lives in protest action. The streets of Cairo were quiet on Tuesday, but Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement called for more protests later in the day, raising the risk of further violence. Under pressure to restore democracy quickly, Adli Mansour, the judge named head of state by the army when it brought down Morsi last week, decreed overnight that a parliamentary vote would be held in about six months. That would be followed by a presidential election.
In recent developments, a number of prominent figures have been withdrawing their support from Egypt. Among them, Sunni Muslim leader the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb and 2011 Nobel Prize winner Tawakol Karman. He has threatened to go into seclusion if the unrest does not end.
The Yemeni women’s rights activist was one of the revolution’s biggest admirers. One of the most prominent Sunni clerics in the Middle East, Egyptian-born Youssef al-Qaradawi has also condemned the military intervention.
Meanwhile, 22 Al-Jazeera staffers have reportedly resigned in protest over the network’s coverage of events in Egypt. They were allegedly ordered to favour the ousted Muslim Broterhood leader Hosni Mubarak in their coverage. It is not clear if the reports were true.
Full Article: Egypt issues election schedule | eNCA.
