Egyptian president defies military

Egypt’s president has ordered the country’s Islamist-dominated parliament to reconvene in defiance of a military decree dissolving the legislature last month, following a court ruling a third of its members were illegally elected.

The surprise move by the Islamist Mohammed Morsi yesterday will almost certainly lead to a clash with the powerful generals who formally handed power to him on Jun 30 after spending 16 months at the nation’s helm following the removal of Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising.

The decree by Morsi, a long-time Muslim Brotherhood member, also called for new parliamentary elections to be held within 60 days of the adoption of a new constitution for the country, which is not expected before late this year.