In support of democracy and national unity in Egypt
4 July 2013
One year on from sweeping to power with 13 million votes, President Mohamed Morsi and his Moslim Brotherhood dominated government have been forcefully removed from office by the Egyptian military.
President Morsi, the first freely-elected President of Egypt, was at his lowest in terms of popularity, having failed to deliver on the democratic promises he was elected to fulfil. Last December he granted himself un-challengeable powers, which shocked both the Egyptian people and the international community, and then rushed through a referendum on the new constitution despite a lack of agreement among the political forces. Since then, discontent and national discord have intensified, leading to a deeply divided and polarised nation. The economy has deteriorated, unemployment and inflation continue to rise, and GDP growth has severely shrunk.
A military coup, however, is out of step with democracy and the Socialist International calls on the interim authorities to uphold the rule of law and to immediately restore democracy, pressing ahead with presidential and parliamentary elections without delay.
The popular revolution which shook the country two years ago has not ushered in the era of democracy and freedoms that the Egyptian people had hoped for, and which so many bravely fought and died for. But advances have been made and it is clear that the vast majority of the people of Egypt will not give up the struggle for full democracy.
The Socialist International looks forward to a peaceful outcome to the problems facing Egypt today and calls on the population as a whole to respect each others’ differences, regardless of religion, beliefs or gender, to unite in the interests of the nation and to do justice to those citizens who paid with their lives for a better country, living in peace and democracy. The SI reiterates its solidarity with all those in Egypt who share the ideals and principles of social democracy and who remain engaged in defending the democratic goals of the 2011 revolution.
