CAIRO — Supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi fought pitched battles outside the presidential palace Wednesday night after his vice president vowed that a referendum on the country’s controversial draft constitution would go ahead as scheduled.
The two sides, split over the Islamist character of the proposed charter, threw rocks and molotov cocktails at each other but did not attack the palace itself. The Health Ministry said two people were killed and dozens injured in the melee, CNN reported. A state-run television channel said masked men set fire to a headquarters of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood in eastern Egypt.
Video
Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi returned to the Presidential Palace after fleeing from thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the gates to protest his claim to power.
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Two weeks into a political crisis that has pitted Egypt’s first elected president against a broad coalition of liberals, secularists, human rights activists and old-regime loyalists, neither side appears willing to compromise.
But as the country hurtles toward a national referendum next week on a constitution pushed by Morsi and deemed illegitimate by his opponents, the camp backing the president appears far more confident of victory.
Opposition protesters camped outside the presidential palace Tuesday night and sprayed mocking graffiti across its walls. They chanted taunts at Morsi and his Islamist allies and promised to widen the protests into nationwide strikes if Morsi did not back down.
Before the violence erupted Wednesday night, Vice President Mahmoud Mekki said the referendum would go ahead but denied that Morsi was “being stubborn” about it.
The United States has refused to publicly criticize Morsi or directly condemn the proposed constitution. U.S. officials are lobbying the Morsi government behind the scenes, however, urging more expansive language and explicit support for existing human and women’s rights protections.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the Obama administration is watching the constitutional process “with concern,” but she stressed that U.S. preferences take a back seat to what Egyptians themselves want and deserve.
“Almost two years ago, the Egyptian people took to the streets because they wanted real democratic change,” Clinton said following NATO meetings in Brussels. “And they, therefore — not the Americans, not anyone else, but the Egyptian people — deserve a constitution that protects the rights of all Egyptians, men and women, Muslim and Christian, and ensures that Egypt will uphold all of its international obligations.” The last phrase referred to Egypt’s three-decade-old peace treaty with Israel.
“They also want and deserve a constitutional process that is open, transparent and fair and does not unduly favor one group over any other,” Clinton said.
She said the street protests in Egypt show the urgent need for “ a two-way dialogue, not one side talking at another side, but actual, respectful exchanges of views and concerns among Egyptians themselves about the constitutional process and the substance of the constitution.”
Morsi set off a wave of protest, and united a disparate opposition, last month when he granted himself the sweeping power to legislate without any oversight.
The two sides, split over the Islamist character of the proposed charter, threw rocks and molotov cocktails at each other but did not attack the palace itself. The Health Ministry said two people were killed and dozens injured in the melee, CNN reported. A state-run television channel said masked men set fire to a headquarters of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood in eastern Egypt.
Video
Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi returned to the Presidential Palace after fleeing from thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the gates to protest his claim to power.
WorldViews
Olga Khazan
From Afghanistan to Finland, how does corruption happen?
Olga Khazan The chess champion talks about Putin, protests and the punk band that captured the world's attention
Max Fisher
A short video documentary on the assaults, and what activists are doing to stop them.
Max Fisher A graphical explainer of how the blackouts happen, whose country is at risk, and who is probably safe.
Two weeks into a political crisis that has pitted Egypt’s first elected president against a broad coalition of liberals, secularists, human rights activists and old-regime loyalists, neither side appears willing to compromise.
But as the country hurtles toward a national referendum next week on a constitution pushed by Morsi and deemed illegitimate by his opponents, the camp backing the president appears far more confident of victory.
Opposition protesters camped outside the presidential palace Tuesday night and sprayed mocking graffiti across its walls. They chanted taunts at Morsi and his Islamist allies and promised to widen the protests into nationwide strikes if Morsi did not back down.
Before the violence erupted Wednesday night, Vice President Mahmoud Mekki said the referendum would go ahead but denied that Morsi was “being stubborn” about it.
The United States has refused to publicly criticize Morsi or directly condemn the proposed constitution. U.S. officials are lobbying the Morsi government behind the scenes, however, urging more expansive language and explicit support for existing human and women’s rights protections.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the Obama administration is watching the constitutional process “with concern,” but she stressed that U.S. preferences take a back seat to what Egyptians themselves want and deserve.
“Almost two years ago, the Egyptian people took to the streets because they wanted real democratic change,” Clinton said following NATO meetings in Brussels. “And they, therefore — not the Americans, not anyone else, but the Egyptian people — deserve a constitution that protects the rights of all Egyptians, men and women, Muslim and Christian, and ensures that Egypt will uphold all of its international obligations.” The last phrase referred to Egypt’s three-decade-old peace treaty with Israel.
“They also want and deserve a constitutional process that is open, transparent and fair and does not unduly favor one group over any other,” Clinton said.
She said the street protests in Egypt show the urgent need for “ a two-way dialogue, not one side talking at another side, but actual, respectful exchanges of views and concerns among Egyptians themselves about the constitutional process and the substance of the constitution.”
Morsi set off a wave of protest, and united a disparate opposition, last month when he granted himself the sweeping power to legislate without any oversight.