August 22, 2013

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was released from a Cairo prison today (State Information Service of Egypt).

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was released from Cairo’s Tora prison today. An Egyptian court ordered his release after two years of pre-trial detention on corruption charges. He will be under house arrest pending further investigation of those charges, which allege that Mubarak accepted $11 million in gifts from the state-run newspaper Al-Ahram. Other corruption charges are pending for the ex-president, and he is appealing a conviction for allegedly ordering the deaths of Egyptian protesters in the 2011 uprising that led to his ouster.

Mubarak served as president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011. In January 2011, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians took to the streets, demanding his resignation. Critics complained that Mubarak’s administration was rife with corruption and had all but crushed civil rights. Protests against his regime became progressively more violent until he was forced to yield power to Egypt’s military in February 2011.

The transition from military to civilian rule was carried out fairly peacefully, and in June 2012, Islamist candidate Mohamed Morsi became the first freely elected president of Egypt. Morsi pushed an Islamist agenda strongly favored by the Muslim Brotherhood, sparking widespread protests. Many Egyptians believed that Morsi was more interested in turning Egypt into an Islamist state than in dealing with the country’s many problems. The lack of public security under Morsi undermined the economy, which remains in a desperate state. More than 1 million people were thrown out of work during his one year in office. Finally, the Egyptian military removed Morsi from the presidency on July 3. On July 26, Morsi was formally charged with espionage and conspiring to carry out “aggressive acts in the country” during the 2011 uprising.

Experts on the domestic situation in Egypt noted today that Mubarak’s release is widely seen as a sign that the revolution of 2011 has come full circle with the army once again firmly in control. The military has imprisoned hundreds of members of the Muslim Brotherhood and former President Mohamed Morsi remains in prison.

Additional World Book articles:

• Tahrir Square
• The Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)
• Egypt (2011) (a Back in Time article)
• Egypt (2012) (a Back in Time article)

June 26, 2012

Mohammed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was declared Egypt’s president on June 24 after the freest elections in the country’s history. With 51.7 percent of the vote, Morsi narrowly defeated former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, who garnered 48.3 percent of the vote. Morsi is the first civilian to hold the office of president in Egyptian history. His predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, commanded the Egyptian air force until he was appointed vice president by then-President Anwar el-Sadat. Sadat, also a military officer, was president of Egypt from 1970 until his assassination in 1981. Mubarak was driven from office in 2011 in a mass popular uprising.

President-elect Morsi met on June 27 with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of the ruling military council, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. After the meeting, Field Marshal Tantawi announced that the military would “stand by the elected, legitimate president and will cooperate with him for the stability of the country.” However, Middle East experts noted that Morsi’s assumption of the presidency will not put an end to the power struggle between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Just as the presidential election polls were closing on June 17th, the Supreme Council issued a declaration granting itself sweeping new powers. While the council declared that it would turn over power to the newly elected president, it stripped the office of any authority over the army; it also gave itself control over the budget and control of who will write a new, permanent constitution.

Two days before the presidential election, Egypt’s supreme court–stacked with Mubarak-era appointees–ruled that last year’s parliamentary elections had been unconstitutional. The decision dissolved the parliament, effectively handing over all legislative power to the council.

Morsi is the first Islamist elected as a head of state following 2011′s extraordinary wave of pro-democracy uprisings, which came to be called the “Arab Spring.” An Islamist advocates Islamic political rule, which usually involves the imposition of Shari`ah law, the moral and legal code of Islam.

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians protested in Cairo's Tahrir Square against the government of President Hosni Mubarak in January 2011. The sometimes-violent demonstrations led to Mubarak's resignation in February 2011. (© John Moore, Getty Images)

Additional World Book articles:

• Egypt 2011 (a Back in Time article)
• The Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)

June 19, 2012

The Muslim Brotherhood called today for mass demonstrations across Egypt to protest sweeping new powers assumed by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. The council has overseen Egypt’s transition after the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. Brotherhood leaders threatened to flood the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities with tens of thousands of protesters if the military continues its attempt to “rebuild [the] old regime.”

According to the Brotherhood, the official results of the presidential election on June 16 and 17 confirm that its candidate, Mohamed Morsi, won with 51.7 percent of the vote, compared with former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq’s 48.2 percent. Just as the polls were closing on the 17th, the Supreme Council issued a declaration granting itself sweeping new powers. While the council declared that it would turn over power to who was elected president, it stripped the office of any authority over the army; it also gave itself control over the budget and control of who will write a new, permanent constitution.

Two days before the presidential election, Egypt’s supreme court–stacked with Mubarak-era appointees–ruled that last year’s parliamentary elections had been unconstitutional. The decision dissolved the parliament, effectively handing over all legislative power to the council.

If Morsi’s victory is confirmed in the official results scheduled to be announced on June 21, he will be the first Islamist elected as a head of state following 2011′s extraordinary wave of pro-democracy uprisings, which came to be called the “Arab Spring.” An Islamist advocates Islamic political rule, which usually involves the imposition of Shari`ah law, the moral and legal code of Islam.

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians protested against the government of President Hosni Mubarak in January 2011. The sometimes-violent demonstrations led to Mubarak’s resignation in February 2011. (© John Moore, Getty Images)

Additional World Book articles:

• Egypt 2011 (a Back in Time article)
• The Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)

June 15, 2012

Egypt’s supreme court ruled yesterday that last year’s parliamentary vote was unconstitutional, setting off widespread unrest just two days before Egyptians are to vote for a new president in that country’s first free presidential election. The decision effectively hands legislative power to the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces, which has overseen Egypt’s transition after the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians protested against the government of President Hosni Mubarak in January 2011. The sometimes-violent demonstrations led to Mubarak’s resignation in February. (© John Moore, Getty Images)

Presidential candidate Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood has declared that the court’s decision “must be respected,” but other political figures have expressed fear that the military is intent on maintaining its hold on power. Islamist politician Abdul Moneim Aboul Fotouh labeled the court’s decision “a total coup.” “Anyone who imagines that the millions of youths will let this pass is dreaming,” he declared referring to protesters already gathering in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. (Massive protests in Tahrir Square and elsewhere in Egypt in 2011 brought down the Mubarak regime.)

Mohammed Mursi faces former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq in the runoff election, which the military council has confirmed will go forward as planned. The council has yet to confirm whether it supports the dissolution of parliament, and if so, whether it will assume the power to write laws and draft a new constitution.

Additional World Book articles:

• Egypt 2011 (a Back in Time article)
• The Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)