Egypt`s interim Prez vows fresh polls, 51 killed in clashes

Cairo: Egypt`s interim President unveiled a roadmap for fresh polls by early next year to end the raging political turmoil in the country, as angry Islamists on Tuesday staged rallies after clashes between loyalists of deposed leader Mohammed Morsi and soldiers killed 51 people.

Egypt`s interim President Adly Mansour issued a constitutional declaration late last night giving himself limited power to make laws, and outlined the timetable for Parliamentary and Presidential Elections. Mansour issued the anticipated declaration that will remain effective until the end of the ongoing transitional period, which will last for at least six months, according to the decree. The whole process will take no more than 210 days, according to the decree, meaning elections will be by February at the latest. Ending days of speculation, Mansour on Tuesday named liberal economist Hazem al-Beblawi as the country`s new prime minister. Hazem was also a former finance minister. Nobel Peace laureate and opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei was named vice president for foreign relations, presidential spokesman Ahmed al-Muslimani announced. Earlier, the declaration from the interim President came after clashes between Morsi`s supporters and security forces killed 51 people yesterday, and wounded another 435. It was the deadliest day in Cairo since the revolution that forced former President Hosni Mubarak from office in 2011. Nearly 650 people, mostly backers of Morsi, were also detained as they tried to storm the Republican Guard headquarters here, where the 61-year-old ousted leader is reportedly under house arrest. Meanwhile, Essam el-Erian, a senior Brotherhood leader, rejected the transition plan, saying it takes the Arab nation "back to zero". "The cowards are not sleeping, but Egypt will not surrender. The people created their Constitution with their votes," el-Erian, also deputy head of Freedom and Justice Party, wrote on his Facebook page. The Army, in a statement, said, "an armed terrorist group tried to storm" the Republican Guard compound and soldiers retaliated by firing. Muslim Brotherhood, which has led demonstrations against last week`s military overthrow of Morsi, called for an "uprising" and accused troops and police of "massacring" its supporters. Senior officials in Egypt`s Muslim Brotherhood rejected the timetable for new elections laid out by interim President. Leading Brotherhood figure Essam al-Erian said, "A constitutional decree by a man appointed by putchists... brings the country back to square one." Ahmad Abu-Barakah, a legal adviser to the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), said the decree was "invalid and illegitimate", the Al-Misri al-Yawm reported. Other Islamists parties opposed to Morsi`s ouster also rejected the decree. The Jama`a al-Islamiya and its Construction and Development Party rejected the transitional constitution issued by Mansour. In a statement on its website, the group rejected the Constitution "issued by an illegitimate president". The Muslim Brotherhood said its members were fired on at a sit-in for ousted President Morsi. Morsi, an Islamist and Egypt`s first freely-elected leader, was removed from office by the Army last week after mass protests. His supporters accuse the military of staging a coup, but his opponents said the move was the continuation of the revolution that deposed President Mubarak. The conservative Islamist Al-Nur party, which had backed the Army`s overthrow of Morsi, in response to the "massacre", said it was pulling out of talks on a new government. The declaration, issued by Mansour consisted of 33 articles. It will be automatically cancelled should an amended version of the suspended Constitution is voted for by the public, Ahram online reported. According to the temporary charter, the President holds legislative authorities along with the Cabinet that shall have a mandatory consultative role. Legislative authority will be transferred to the Parliament`s lower chamber, the House of Representatives that was yet to be elected. PTI