There is an alternative solution for Egypt

Egyptian constitutional scholar Mohammed Nour Farahat said that the constitutional decree issued last Thursday by President Mohammed Morsi must be annulled, in order to spare the country from a severe national strife. In an interview with Arabstoday, Farahat offered an alternative which he says could provide a solution for the current political tension in the country. The declaration issued by Morsi blocks the judiciary, or any other body, from challenging Morsi's decisions legally. The decree also guarantees the Shura Council (the upper house of parliament) and the controversial Islamist-led Constituent Assembly against dissolution by court order. The declaration further included the sacking of the general prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, who Morsi had attempted to remove a few weeks ago but could not due to a prior legal barrier. Morsi also ordered the retrial of ousted president Hosni Mubarak in relation to the killing of protesters during the January 25 Revolution. Commentators, critics and protesters soon nicknamed Morsi as the "new Pharaoh," branding the new constitutional declaration as dictatorial. Tens of thousands took to the streets on Friday to protest the declaration, while supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups gathered the same day before the presidential palace to support Morsi. Clashes erupted in the streets in many Egyptian cities between pro and anti-Muslim Brotherhood groups, leading to the death of 15-year-old Massoud in Damanhour in Beheira governorate. Rights organisations also released statements condemning Morsi's decisions while several presidential advisors resigned in protest of the decree. Explaining his initiative, Farahat suggested that President Morsi should first annul Thursday's declaration. "Then he has to order the dissolution of the current 100-member Constituent Assembly and replace it with a new 30-member assembly formed of political and constitutional scholars and activists who represent all factions of Egypt's political, religious and social spectrum." Farahat also urged Morsi to sack the current government and replace with a national consensus government that can address the country's problems effectively and gains the people's trust. Farahat warned the president that the Egyptian people would never accept his recently issued constitutional declaration to be put into effect, urging him to annul it as quickly as possible to spare the country from the danger of national strife and street fights across the country.