President Morsi made a bundle of sweeping decisions on Sunday afternoon, announced by the presidential spokesperson in a televised statement.
Firstly, Morsi cancelled the 17 June constitutional addendum, which was issued by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), and amended the SCAF-issued 30 March 2011 Constitutional Declaration.
The new Constitutional Declaration grants the elected president all the powers detailed in Article 56 of the 30 March 2011 Constitutional Declaration.
The powers Morsi enjoys as per this declaration include full executive and legislative authority, as well as the power to set all public policies in Egypt and sign international treaties.
The declaration also gives Morsi the right to form a new Constituent Assembly tasked with drafting a new Egyptian constitution should any future developments prevent the current assembly from carrying out its responsibilities.
Secondly, Morsi issued a decision to retire Hussein Tantawi, the minister of defence and the general commander of the Armed Forces.
Morsi also retired Sami Anan, the Army’s Chief of Staff.
Morsi also decided to award both men state medals and appoint them as advisors to the president.
Thirdly, the president appointed the head of the military intelligence, Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, as Minister of Defence to replace Tantawi.
Sedky Sobhy, the commander of the Third Army, was appointed as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.
Morsi also retired the Commander of the Navy, Mohab Memish, and appointed him as head of the Suez Canal Authority.
Reda Hafez, the commander of the Air Force, was also retired and appointed as minister of Military Production.
Mohamed El-Assar, the SCAF member in charge of armaments, was appointed as assistant to the Minister of Defence.
Fourth, Morsi appointed Mahmoud Mekki, the deputy head of the Cassation Court, as his Vice President.
Immediately following the announcement of their appointments, Mahmoud Mekki, Egypt’s new vice president, and Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the new minister of defence, were both sworn into office before President Morsi shortly after 5pm on Sunday afternoon.
