CAIRO: Egypt’s opposition has set Tuesday as a deadline for President Mohamed Morsi to step down, threatening a campaign of civil disobedience if he stays.
“We give Mohamed Morsi until 5:00 pm on Tuesday July 2 to leave power, allowing state institutions to prepare for early presidential elections,” Egypt’s opposition Tamarod movement, which led nationwide protests against President Mohamed Morsi, said in a statement on its website.
Otherwise, “Tuesday, 5:00 pm will be the beginning of a complete civil disobedience campaign,” it said. Tamarod — Arabic for Rebellion — is a grassroots campaign which says it collected more than 22 million signatures seeking to withdraw confidence from Morsi.
It was behind Sunday’s protests that saw millions of people take to the streets demanding his departure on the first anniversary of his inauguration as president.
In its statement, Tamarod called on the army, the police and the judiciary to stand with the protesters. It urged “state institutions including the army, the police and the judiciary to clearly side with the popular will as represented by the crowds”on Sunday.
It rejected presidential calls for dialogue, saying: “There is no way to accept any halfway measures.
“There is no alternative other than the peaceful end of power of the Muslim Brotherhood and its representative, Mohamed Morsi.”
