West must help Egypt's democracy

In Egypt, the electoral commission has postponed for an indefinite period the announcement of the results of the presidential election scheduled for this Thursday owing to numerous complaints. The Military Council had already expanded its own powers last Sunday while the run-off vote was taking place. The country is experiencing a covert military coup, the left-liberal daily De Volkskrant warns: "First the constitutional court dissolved the newly elected parliament where the Islamists had gained a majority of mandates. … Then the Supreme Military Council granted itself legislative powers by means of an emergency decree. The military also made sure that it will have major influence over the drawing up of a new constitution. Moreover it considerably limited the powers of the president right from the start. Even if the Islamist Mursi wins the election, he won't have any power over the army or the defence budget. It's understandable that the West is concerned about the advance of the Islamists in the Arab world. But it must raise its voice against the disguised military coup. New life must be breathed into Egyptian democracy."

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More from the press review on the subject » Crises / War, » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Egypt
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