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[Davlos]

This was the only polite way I could express myself when I heard that Morsi was told by the Army that he was no longer the President. This sets a terrible precedent for any civilian leader who gets elected - if he shows signs of screwing up, does this mean that the plebs can have the right to overthrow him just because he's disliked?

The plebs only have themselves to blame for not electing the kind of leader they ideally wanted. After all, with an overall 54% voter turnout on 2011, it only comes to show just how terribad Egyptians are.  Why bother overthrowing an autocratic dude when you don't even bother to show up to exercise your democratic right to vote for the first time in decades?! If you don't like being lorded over by the Muslim Brotherhood, then let them serve out their 4 years before electing someone else for fuck's sake!

[hellgremlin]

The probbo with Egypt was that their first Democratic election wasn't Democratic at all, but rather effectively rigged. The Muslim Brotherhood party secured about 13m votes, and won the election with 52% of the vote. The signature collection to recall Morsy gathered 22m signatures.

Morsy is widely regarded as failure by most Egyptians including a portion of his own Islamist core. He's been unable to bring crime in Egypt back down since the revolution, and he quickly lost the support of everyone outside his core by his stupid move to prevent his decisions being questioned by Egyptian courts. Suffice it to say, he's not too popular with the 50% of Egypt that has vageens, either. For the Egyppos, it's very much a matter of "meet the old boss, same as the new boss."

[Nicoletta Mithra]

Well, Davlos, demonstrations are citizens exercising their democratic rights. Even if they screwed up at the elections, if they realized this just now, I don't see how it's wrong of them demonstrate and correct their mistake. That's democracy. Letting the president serve out his 4 years is placing the rights and powers that is derived from the will of people over the the fundamental democratic rights of the people.

Also, I mean if you decide on a four year saving plan and find out after a few weeks that you'll loose all your money with it, will you stick to it because you earlier decided that is how you save your money the next four years? I hope not.

[hellgremlin]

Once people taste freedom and determination, they're really unwilling to give it up to a guy who looks keen on taking it back.

[Nicoletta Mithra]

Unless the people are Germans.

[Silas Vitalia]

Morsy quickly demonstrated a dedication to power-grabbing and exclusion beyond his mandate, and a lovely slide toward shittery.

Army and people having none of this. 

Remains to be seen if the interim period before new elections will in fact be 'interim' but who knows.

This is one of the reasons we've maintained extremely close ties with their military leadership these last thirty years or so; Everyone knows where the bread is buttered and who is calling the shots. 

This will look more like a Pakistan type situation with a generally ineffective series of 'democratically' elected governments who can do what they want while the military maintains an unassailable third pillar of the state.

[Silas Vitalia]

Also I'll add electing someone to power (Morsy) who turns out to try and change all the rules to ensure his and his partie's perpetual stranglehold on the process means another election will not be a solution.

[Esna Pitoojee]

What really shocked me was - after tiptoeing around the military for a bit right after he was elected - Morsi suddenly seemed to believe that he had become immune to their might and could afford to forget that the military had deigned to allow democratic elections in the first place. This may be an "outsider's vision" thing, but to me it looked like a pretty silly thing to do.

[Ché Biko]

54% voter turnout isn't that bad really, considering egyptian (election) infrastructure and sometimes having to wait in line for 3 hours before you can cast your vote.

Sure, it's not a european voter turnout percentage, but the USA had 59% in 2012.

[Pieter Tuulinen]

In the fragile and early beginnings of a new Democracy it's often necessary for the Army to provide some guidance to the emerging government. They are, after all, the only organisation in a nascent nationstate with the power to do so.

When an elected representative spends most of their energy and mandate on making changes to the laws that limit the scope and duration of their powers it has to be seen as nothing less than a betrayal. Clearly Morsi was the wrong man, representing the wrong people. Time for the Army to do what's needed, form an interim government and then go back to the people.

[Seriphyn]

I don't think the military should ever be the vanguard of democracy. There is no guaranteed way to remove them once any semblance of constitutionalism is in place.

[Nicoletta Mithra]

Whatever the military should or shouldn't be, it often is - one way or the other - midwife of democracy.

[Pieter Tuulinen]

And the military appoints a Chief Judge as the interim president - not a Colonel or General.

[Desiderya]

I remember a case where a democratic system gave birth to a dictatorship. When you think about it, it always comes down who the military supports whether it is 'good' or 'bad'. Regardings its capacity - it's likely the only organisation within a nation that would be able to function when the government is in disarray.

[Nicoletta Mithra]

I remember a case where a democratic system gave birth to a dictatorship. When you think about it, it always comes down who the military supports whether it is 'good' or 'bad'. Regardings its capacity - it's likely the only organisation within a nation that would be able to function when the government is in disarray.

It's also the only instance that has the power to enforce order in such a case... Thus, there are good reasons why, in a democracy, the military power should rest with the people. Like, say, in the Swiss citizens army.