Hundreds of thousands thronged to iconic Tahrir square on Friday, June 29, as Islamist President Mohamed Morsi prepared to address supporters on the eve of his swearing-in as Egypt’s first civilian president.
“Down with the power of the military,” the demonstrators chanted, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.
“Field marshal, tell us the truth — is Morsi your president or not?”
Thousands have gathered in the square to protest against decrees issued by Egypt’s military rulers before Morsi’s election.
From mid-morning hours, thousands braved the scorching sun to attend Friday prayers at Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
Chants against the ruling military which took over on Mubarak’s overthrow rang out from among the crowd.
“I’m here to tell the military council that we, the people, elected parliament so it is only us, the people, who can dissolve it,” Intissar al-Sakka, a protestor from the FJP, told the Reuters news agency.
The Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi resigned after winning the presidency, had called for a huge demonstration in Tahrir, under the slogan: “Day of the transfer of power.”
The presidency announced late on Thursday that Morsi would be sworn in Saturday before the Constitutional Court, after differences with the army over the transfer of power to the nation’s first civilian president.
Morsi “will go at 11 am (0900 GMT) Saturday to the Constitutional Court to take the oath before the Court’s general assembly,” said a statement released by MENA.
The President’s spokesman Yasser Ali told state MENA news agency the president-elect would “make a speech to the great Egyptian people” in which he would speak about “efforts to launch his program for the rebirth of Egypt.”
Morsi, Egypt’s first freely-elected civilian president, is due to speak at 18:00 local time.
Traditionally the president takes the oath in parliament, but Egypt’s top court has ordered the disbanding of the Islamist-dominated legislature.
The military subsequently assumed legislative powers and also formed a powerful national security council headed by the president but dominated by generals.
By agreeing to be sworn in by the Constitutional Court, Morsi is effectively acknowledging the court’s decision to dissolve parliament.
Media reports said Morsi was consulting a cross-section of Egyptian society before appointing a premier and a cabinet mostly made up of technocrats.