Has the West Started to Abandon Morsi?

It seems that the West has started to rethink its calculations regarding the large support it gives to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi at a time when the opposition is accusing him of following the policies of the former regime and opinion polls confirm a decline in his popularity by a large percentage.

Some observers think that Western countries, which repeatedly heralded the “Brotherhood’s democracy” in Egypt, have started to doubt the benefits of continuing to support a regime that has only succeeded in controlling institutions at a time when the country is buckling under the burden of debts, the decimated economy and the chaos spreading dangerously everywhere.

Pointing out Morsi’s lack of commitment to the promises he made at the beginning of his rule, The Washington Post emphasizes Morsi’s “betrayal of democracy” in his country.

In an article published two days ago, the newspaper adds that Morsi gave himself absolute power in order to pass the Brotherhood constitution in an illegal maneuver, appointed a new public prosecutor subordinate to him and contributed to the Brotherhood’s hegemony over the Shura Council, which agreed on the civil associations bill that will obstruct the working of civil society and human rights organizations in Egypt.

The newspaper reports that Ahmad Maher, one of the leaders of the 2011 revolution and coordinator of the April 6 Movement, said Morsi broke his promise with the youth of the revolution who gave him their votes. Maher indicated that Morsi is clinging to power and is coming markedly closer to the policies of his predecessor Hosni Mubarak.

An opinion poll published by the Egyptian newspaper al-Watan revealed a decline in Morsi’s support to 46 percent, from over 78 percent in the months following the beginning of his term 10 months ago.

Observers accuse Morsi of turning against democracy by arresting activists and attempting to distort their reputation, in that the prosecutor general’s office a few days ago issued a decision ordering the arrest of Ahmad Maher on the suspicion of instigation, resisting authorities and insulting policemen — but public pressure subsequently forced the office to free him.

Angy Hamdi, a member of the political office of the April 6 Movement, said that what is happening is “a continuation of the sequence of imprisoning and arresting activists and distorting their image.” She continued, “We will react strongly.”*

Opponents launched a campaign under the name of “Revolution” aimed at withdrawing confidence in the Egyptian president and calling for early presidential elections, and the campaign has succeeded in collecting more than 2 million signatures in 10 days. The campaign has given rise to a wide debate surrounding the extent to which withdrawing confidence from a democratically-elected president is legal, but those responsible for it say that Morsi is no longer capable of running the country’s affairs, indicating that they are coming from the starting point of a constitutional principle, that “sovereignty belongs to the people.”

Maher confirms to the U.S. newspaper that the “Youth of the Revolution” group rejects the strategy adopted by some opposition leaders, such as boycotting the coming elections and supporting a military coup.

But, at the same time, he warns the United States about repeating past mistakes by allowing Morsi to solidify his control of power.

He directs a message to U.S. President Barack Obama in saying, “If you want to support democracy, say we are here in Egypt to support democracy, not whoever is in office.”

*Editor’s note: The original quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.