Where will Mursi be sworn in on Saturday as Egypt’s new president?

Conflicting reports on where Egypt’s President-elect Mohammed Mursi will be sworn in continued throughout Tuesday.

According to Al Arabiya correspondent in Cairo, Mursi is due to be sworn in next Saturday before the General Assembly of the Supreme Constitutional Court, after which he will be handed over the authority from the military council.

Egypt’s daily al-Masry al-Youm quoted a military source as saying that the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) is planning two-day celebrations on July 1, for stressing the loyalty of the army to the nation and for underlining how it fulfilled its national responsibilities along the past 18 months.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Supreme Constitutional Court told Egypt’s daily al-Masry al-Youm late Monday that the Court has not yet been notified if Mursi will be sworn in before the court's general assembly.

Maher Samy said that he expected that the president will be sworn in in front of 18 councilors and members of the general assembly, including the Court head Farouk Sultan, his deputies and Hatem Bagato, the secretary general of the Presidential Elections Commission.

Samy added that he expected the court to be notified by Saturday. “The president will have no legitimacy before he takes the oath,” he was quoted as saying.

However, Yasser Ali, a member of Mursi’s presidential campaign, denied, according to the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party website, the news that the President-elect will take the oath of office before the Court, the online edition of the state-run al-Ahram daily reported.

Ali said that Mursi will be sworn in before the parliament as the legitimately elected entity according to the June 30, 2011 constitutional declaration.

The Constitutional Court ruled on June 14 that the Islamist-dominated lower house of parliament, known as the People’s Assembly, was unconstitutional.

The ruling military council announced the dissolution of parliament on June 15, prompting mass protests amid a wave of accusations that the military rulers have challenged the people’s will.

If sworn in before the Court, Mursi would be acknowledging the Constitutional Declaration announced by the SCAF on June 17, which faced widespread rejection from various political forces.

Meanwhile, Mursi has already begun consultations for the formation of his presidential guard and deputies, as well as the government, which he said would not be limited to the Brotherhood’s FJP, but would include the other political parties and forces.

There has been talk of Mursi having discussions with Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohammed ElBaradei for the role of prime minister, which would provide reassurance to non-Islamists.
Mursi has also promised to appoint a range of vice presidents and a cabinet of all the talents.

In an interview with a private Egyptian television channel earlier this month, Mursi, who was then presidential candidate, said he that his “team” of vice presidents would include “a woman, a Christian and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.”


(Additional writing by Abeer Tayel)