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CAIRO - The Egyptian capital was
on edge on Friday as residents,
bracing for renewed protests,
awaited further reaction from
politicians of the Muslim
Brotherhood and street activists to
court rulings that have thrust the
nation's troubled transition to
democracy into grave doubt.
The authorities set up checkpoints
overnight and contingents of riot
police were moving around the city
to prepare for any disturbances.
But the streets remained relatively
quiet Friday morning. Mindful of the
sweltering sun, organizers have
called for a demonstration in the late
afternoon and into the night, just
hours before the polls are expected
to open for the presidential runoff
on Saturday.
The rulings on Thursday by the
Supreme Constitutional Court, a
panel of judges appointed by
Egypt's ousted president, Hosni
Mubarak, dissolved the popularly
elected Parliament and allowed the
toppled government's last prime
minister to run for president,
escalating a struggle by remnants of
the old elite to block Islamists from
coming to power.
The rulings were quickly
condemned as a "coup" by
Islamists, liberals and scholars. The
court's action, coming two days
before a presidential runoff, set up a
showdown with the Islamists who
dominate in Parliament. They said
Thursday night that they refused to
dissolve the legislature and vowed
to win the presidency despite the
signs of opposition within the
government overseeing the vote.
The military rulers did not issue a
statement on the court's decision.
But the Web site of the state
newspaper Al Ahram reported that
the generals said the presidential
runoff would still take place on
schedule.
The rulings recalled events that have
played out across the region for
decades, when secular elites have
cracked down on Islamists poised
for electoral gains, most famously
when the dissolution of Algeria's
Islamist-led Parliament started a civil
war 20 years ago.