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Zhang Zhongxiang
the “constitutional declaration” and the “constitutional referendum” proposed by egyptian President Mohamed Morsi have both led to the greatest political crisis in egypt since the new president’s election. in an article for ChinAfrica， Zhang Zhongxiang， deputy director of African studies center of shanghai Normal university， espouses the belief that the crisis indicates a sharp religious-secular conflict in the country， and that the democratization of the Middle east will be a long process. excerpts of his writing follow：
THE turmoil in West Asia and North Africa that started in early 2011 is continuing. The conflict in Syria has lasted nearly two years， and has moved from Aleppo to Damascus； rebels in Libya toppled Gaddafi’s administration in August 2011， but the country still hasn’t elected a president due to the chaos between different factions. Even in Tunis， the origin of the “Arab Spring” movement， people are not satisfied， as their lives have remained unchanged since the revolution.
This all shows that it is easy to destroy an old world， but much more difficult to construct a new one. High unemployment rates and poor economic conditions are the challenges facing these countries. However， it is not easy to develop a nation’s economy and improve people’s livelihood.
The changes seen in Egypt are a part of the events that have happened in West Asia and North Africa. But when compared with those in countries like Libya and Syria， the change that has happened in Egypt has been comparatively peaceful， as various political factions pursue their interests through peaceful demonstrations. Tahrir Square in Cairo has become a major venue for the public to express their political views. Egypt also has numerous problems， especially the sharp contradictions between religious and secular interests. Its democratization will be a long process and cannot be achieved overnight.
In fact， after being sworn in as president in June 2012， Morsi has made great efforts to stabilize the country’s domestic situation and develop the economy， and has won a good reputation through mediating the conflict between Palestine and Israel. But at the same time， he has also adopted a series of measures to consolidate his ruling position， including adjusting military leadership to smooth his relations with the military.
But he encountered challenges in dealing with the country’s judiciary system. On November 22， Morsi announced a constitutional declaration， decreeing that no laws or declarations passed by the President from the time of his inauguration until a new parliament is elected can be overturned by any authority， including the Judiciary. He replaced Prosecutor General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud with Talaat Ibrahim for a four-year term. He also declared that there would be a referendum on a draft of the new constitution.
the “constitutional declaration” and the “constitutional referendum” proposed by egyptian President Mohamed Morsi have both led to the greatest political crisis in egypt since the new president’s election. in an article for ChinAfrica， Zhang Zhongxiang， deputy director of African studies center of shanghai Normal university， espouses the belief that the crisis indicates a sharp religious-secular conflict in the country， and that the democratization of the Middle east will be a long process. excerpts of his writing follow：
THE turmoil in West Asia and North Africa that started in early 2011 is continuing. The conflict in Syria has lasted nearly two years， and has moved from Aleppo to Damascus； rebels in Libya toppled Gaddafi’s administration in August 2011， but the country still hasn’t elected a president due to the chaos between different factions. Even in Tunis， the origin of the “Arab Spring” movement， people are not satisfied， as their lives have remained unchanged since the revolution.
This all shows that it is easy to destroy an old world， but much more difficult to construct a new one. High unemployment rates and poor economic conditions are the challenges facing these countries. However， it is not easy to develop a nation’s economy and improve people’s livelihood.
The changes seen in Egypt are a part of the events that have happened in West Asia and North Africa. But when compared with those in countries like Libya and Syria， the change that has happened in Egypt has been comparatively peaceful， as various political factions pursue their interests through peaceful demonstrations. Tahrir Square in Cairo has become a major venue for the public to express their political views. Egypt also has numerous problems， especially the sharp contradictions between religious and secular interests. Its democratization will be a long process and cannot be achieved overnight.
In fact， after being sworn in as president in June 2012， Morsi has made great efforts to stabilize the country’s domestic situation and develop the economy， and has won a good reputation through mediating the conflict between Palestine and Israel. But at the same time， he has also adopted a series of measures to consolidate his ruling position， including adjusting military leadership to smooth his relations with the military.
But he encountered challenges in dealing with the country’s judiciary system. On November 22， Morsi announced a constitutional declaration， decreeing that no laws or declarations passed by the President from the time of his inauguration until a new parliament is elected can be overturned by any authority， including the Judiciary. He replaced Prosecutor General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud with Talaat Ibrahim for a four-year term. He also declared that there would be a referendum on a draft of the new constitution.