Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

Democracy Defense Front Statement on the Legal Status of the Coup in Egypt

On July 3, 2013 Egypt’s army commander, the Defense Minister, mounted a full-fledged coup d’état against the legitimate elected President of Egypt and suspended the Constitution endorsed by popular referendum on December 25, 2012.

Facebook Digg Yahoo Del.icio.us reddit StumbleUpon Mixx Google

On July 3, 2013 Egypt’s army commander, the Defense Minister, mounted a full-fledged coup d’état against the legitimate elected President of Egypt and suspended the Constitution endorsed by popular referendum on December 25, 2012.

We declare illegal, null and void all decrees issued and actions taken by the Defense Minister, and say as follows:

(1) The Elected President of Egypt, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, did not resign nor transfer any of his powers to any person or entity, including the Defense Minister, who was appointed by the President himself.

(2) Announcing the military coup, the Defense Minister also suspended the Egyptian Constitution approved by the Egyptian people in 2012 in a most credible, fair and free referendum, although this Constitution itself is the legal basis and source of the Defense Minister’s legitimacy, and does not allow any authority to suspend, repeal or abolish any of its provisions.

(3) The Defense Minister appointed Judge Adli Mansour, Chief Justice of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court, as the country's president, in an unprecedented move where a minister "appoints" a President of State.

(4) All Constitutional Court judges, including judge Adli Mansour, were appointed by the President of the Republic according to a Mubarak-era law. Hence, the appointment of Judge Adli Mansour as President by the Defense Minister is a manifest violation of the Constitution and legal provisions. The decree was issued by someone who had no authority to do so, to appoint as President someone who had no right to take that position.

(5) The Defense Minister’s decree to suspend the Constitution is null and void. Therefore the constitutional situation remains as it were. The elected legitimate president remains unchanged and those who mounted the coup remain outside the law and the Constitution.

Finally, the Democracy Defense Front calls on all states as well as international and regional organizations and all the free world not to deal with the illegitimate coup government, and to stand firm with the Egyptian people in their quest to regain their democracy and their Constitution.

God bless Egypt – free and civilian democracy

Democracy Defense Front

July, 5th 2013