Morsy reassures Egyptians as protests grow
November 23, 2012 -- Updated 1541 GMT (2341 HKT)
Egyptian supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsy clash Friday in Alexandria.
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Cairo (CNN) -- Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy said Friday he works for the interest of the Egyptian people and takes "no particular side" after protesters stormed his party's headquarters in Alexandria, angry at what they view as an undemocratic power grab.
"I have dedicated myself and my life for democracy and freedom," Morsy told hundreds of supporters outside the presidential palace in Cairo. "The steps I took are meant to achieve political and social stability."
As Morsy spoke, demonstrators clashed with his supporters in the port city of Alexandria. Thousands of demonstrators were also in Cairo's Tahrir Square, making speeches and chanting against the president.
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One person has died and at least 80 have been injured in the protests, according to Mohamed Sultan, a Health Ministry
Dozens of protesters have been arrested, said Interior Minister Ahmed Gamal El Din. Cameras have been installed around Tahrir Square, its side streets and the Interior Ministry in an effort to determine the identities of people attacking security forces, he announced.
Eric Trager, a fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Morsy not only is preventing the judiciary from overruling his decisions, but he also has "insulated the Muslim-Brotherhood-dominated (constitutional panel) from judicial oversight."
Despite the protests in Cairo and objections from political rivals, Morsy -- elected with nearly 52% of the vote in a June runoff against former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik -- enjoys the "best mobilizing capability in the country" in the Muslim Brotherhood, Trager said.
"If there's a nationwide movement against this, you'll (also) have a nationwide movement for it," Trager said.
After he was elected, Morsy took legislative control from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which ruled after Mubarak was deposed. Earlier, the council dissolved parliament's lower house, saying parliamentary elections that began in November 2011 were unconstitutional. Morsy indicated in June he would call back parliament, but Egypt's high administrative court upheld the dissolution.
Mubarak and his former interior minister, Habib El Adly, were convicted and sentenced in June to life in prison after a 10-month trial on charges relating to the deaths of hundreds of protesters. Six former government aides were acquitted.
Morsy, who still was running for office, said at the time that he would initiate new investigations if elected.
About 840 people died and more than 6,000 others were injured in last year's 18-day uprising, according to Amnesty International.
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