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Egypt's Mohamed Morsi: I have made mistakes Egypt's Mohamed Morsi: I have made mistakes
(about 3 hours later)
The Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, has admitted making mistakes in his first year in office. The Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, used a televised address on Wednesday to admit to making mistakes in his first year in office. But the president also widened the divide between his Islamist supporters and Egypt's secular opposition during his speech, blaming unspecified "enemies of Egypt" for sabotaging the democratic system and warning that the polarised state of the country's politics threatened to plunge it into chaos.
In a televised address on Wednesday, Morsi pledged to introduce "radical and quick" reforms in state institutions, admitting some of his goals had not been achieved. Morsi pledged to introduce "radical and quick" reforms in state institutions, admitting some of his goals had not been achieved.
"Today, I present an audit of my first year, with full transparency, along with a road map. Some things were achieved and others not," he said. "I have made mistakes on a number of issues." "Today, I present an audit of my first year, with full transparency, along with a roadmap. Some things were achieved and others not," he said. "I have made mistakes on a number of issues."
But the president also blamed unspecified "enemies of Egypt" for sabotaging the democratic system and warned that the polarised state of the country's politics was threatening to plunge it into chaos. Yet in a meandering speech that lasted more than two and a half hours, Morsi refused to offer serious concessions to the opposition – and pointedly praised the army, whom many opposition members hope will facilitate a transition of power in the coming weeks.
His speech came before a planned mass demonstration this weekend by his opponents who are demanding that the president resigns and calls an early election. On a night when many hoped he would strike a conciliatory tone, Morsi instead criticised opposition politicians for failing to engage in what he perceives to be constructive dialogue.
"Political polarisation and conflict has reached a stage that threatens our nascent democratic experience and threatens to put the whole nation in a state of paralysis and chaos," he told an audience of officials and Islamist supporters. He spoke before a planned mass demonstration this weekend by his opponents who are demanding that the president resigns and calls an early election.
"The enemies of Egypt have not spared effort in trying to sabotage the democratic experience," he added. Almost a year on from Morsi's election to power, Egypt is dangerously divided between his Islamist supporters and a secular opposition that sees his rule as incompetent and autocratic.
Thousands of opponents gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the focal point of the 2011 revolution, to watch the speech. Activists claim 15 million Egyptians have signed a petition calling for his departure, and expect a significant proportion of that number to turn out on Sunday to force him from office.
Morsi was speaking at a conference hall filled by cabinet ministers and senior officials of his Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm, the Freedom and Justice party, along with several hundred supporters.Morsi was speaking at a conference hall filled by cabinet ministers and senior officials of his Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm, the Freedom and Justice party, along with several hundred supporters.
His speech was interrupted repeatedly by the supporters with applause or chants. The army chief was among those in attendance, and he politely clapped. Thousands gathered to watch his speech on screens in Tahrir Square, the cradle of the 2011 uprising – and most reacted furiously for the duration of the address, many holding shoes as a sign of disrespect.
Hours before he spoke, two people were killed and more than 200 were treated for injuries in the city of Mansoura, north of Cairo, when Islamist supporters clashed with their opponents. "It's really shameful that the president of Egypt, after a whole year in office, walks on stage and starts accusing the whole country of treason," argued Mohamed Zakaria, a tailor who watched the speech in Tahrir Square.
The military said it was bringing reinforcements closer to Egypt's main cities. The troop movement signalled the seriousness of the situation, as huge demonstrations by Morsi's opponents and supporters loom and violence is possible. "We were hoping for major concessions but he's given us nothing."
On Sunday the military chief warned that the army would not stand by and watch Egypt deteriorate into chaos. But the speech may have helped to win over people undecided about joining Sunday's protests.
Morsi often used the language of the street, at times sounding humble and pious.
"He spoke in a way that many Egyptians could relate to," said Yasser el-Shimy, Egypt analyst for the Crisis Group.
"It was a very colloquial speech in which he sounded almost countrified. But it will have done little to convince his non-Islamist opponents."
But while Morsi was at pains to win over the military, el-Shimy said the army – who deployed tanks on the streets of Cairo on Wednesday, and whose intentions are currently the subject of intense debate in Egypt – was unlikely to give him their support based merely on the contents of the speech.
"The army makes strategic decisions based on what they perceive to be the national interest," el-Shimy said.
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