Egypt's opposition rejects Morsi' referendum - Egyptian army granted power to arrest

The Egyptian opposition has rejected a constitutional referendum set for December 15, saying it would fail to represent all Egyptians. It comes after President Mohamed Morsi rescinded a decree granting himself sweeping powers.

"The National Salvation Front (NSF) rejects the referendum to be held on December 15," the powerful opposition coalition's spokesman Hussein Abdel Ghani told a news conference. "We are against this process from start to finish."

The NSF called for mass demonstrations on Tuesday in protest of the constitution, which it says "lacks consensus." Drafted by a Muslim Brotherhood-led assembly, the constitution's critics say it ignores personal freedoms, disregards the rights of women and fails to properly represent all Egyptians.

An official Front statement said: "Holding a referendum now in the absence of security reflects haste and an absence of a sense of responsibility on the part of the regime, which risks pushing the country towards violent confrontation."

The referendum will go ahead as scheduled on December 15.

Egyptian army granted power to arrest

President Morsi granted army officers the authority to make arrests on Sunday, according to the state’s official newspaper.

Law 107, issued by Morsi, gives officers in the Egyptian Army the right to arrest civilians to “maintain public order,”Ahram Online reports, up until the date of Egypt’s constitutional referendum, which is scheduled for 15 December.

It comes just after Morsi rescinded a decree granting himself near absolute powers in an instantly controversial move that sparked nationwide rioting. 

The opposition says Morsi’s concession of the controversial decree is an empty gesture, since it already achieved its main aim: ensuring the adoption of the draft constitution.

But Morsi's supporters say the scrapping of the decree should be enough to please the opposition.

“We ask others to announce their acceptance of the referendum result,” Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozland said on the party’s Facebook page. He also asked whether the opposition would accept the “basics of democracy.”

Meanwhile, the death toll from last week’s violent clashes outside the presidential palace in Cairo has reached eight after another victim died of injuries in a hospital, a health ministry spokesman announced.

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