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Egypt’s Judicial Crisis Intensifies Ahead of Constitutional Referendum

The crisis between President Mohammed Morsi and Egypt’s judiciary has intensified after Eastern Cairo Attorney General Mustafa Khater publicly embarrassed the president by releasing all 137 suspects detained after the recent clashes between his opponents and supporters.
Judges attend a meeting at Egypt's Judges Club in Cairo November 24, 2012. Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi faced a rebellion on Saturday from judges who accused him of expanding his powers at their expense, deepening a crisis that triggered calls for more protests following a day of violence across Egypt. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS)

CAIRO — President Mohammed Morsi issued a decree on Wednesday, Dec. 12 declaring that Egypt’s controversial constitutional referendum will be held in two phases. The first will cover 10 governorates, including the capital of Cairo, on Saturday Dec. 15, while the second will cover the remaining 17 governorates on Dec. 22.

The decision comes after weeks of failed attempts by the presidency and Egypt’s Supreme Judicial Council to sway thousands of judges not to boycott the referendum. The vote was rushed in response to a political crisis instigated by President Morsi’s Nov. 22 decree that granted him sweeping powers and immunity from judicial bodies.

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