CAIRO/BERLIN: Thousands of supporters of Egypt’s embattled president are rallying in the nation’s capital in a show of support ahead of what are expected to be massive opposition-led protests tomorrow to demand Muhammad Mursi’s ouster.
The president’s supporters held Friday prayers on streets surrounding a main mosque in Cairo, close to the presidential palace that in two days will be the focal point of opposition protests.
During Friday sermon, the cleric warned that if Mursi is ousted “there will be no president for the country” and Egypt will descend into “opposition hell.”
The opposition push is rooted in a campaign to collect signatures on a petition calling for Mursi’s dismissal and early presidential elections. The campaign, called “Tamarod,” says that it has collected up to 20 million signatures.
Cairo facing ‘moment of truth’: Germany
Germany yesterday called an escalation in political violence in Egypt a “moment of truth” for its fledgling democracy and urged President Mursi to implement reforms.
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle “is deeply concerned about the current escalation in political tensions in Egypt,” the spokesman, Andreas Peschke, told reporters.
“This is in his view a key moment of truth for political change in Egypt.”
Westerwelle urged all parties to “live up to their responsibilities and prevent any outbreak of violence.”
“What Egypt needs above all are reforms so that the economic situation will improve and people have real future prospects,” Peschke said. “That must be, in our view, the goal of all political forces in Egypt.”
