Egypt's President Signs the New Constitution into Law
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi spoke to the nation today after officially signing off on the new constitution that officially passed in a nationwide referendum. The new charter was approved by 64 percent of the vote during last weekend's referendum, even though only one-third of Egyptian cast a ballot on the question.
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The constitution itself was drafted under questionable circumstances with the ruling Muslim Brotherhood party taking little input and Morsi attempting to hold back an uncomfortable amount of power for his office, issuing a decree beforehand that limited the role of the courts to overrule the presidency. His chief political rival, Mohamed El Baradei, continued to protest the entire process, calling it a "sad day for Egypt" and adding that it is "a very polarizing charter, and it defies a lot of the basic human values we live by."
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During his speech, Morsi stated that the controversy was merely a normal part of doing political business, and that the constitution would be good for the country. He even hinted that he would be willing to make changes to his cabinet, if that might help ease the nation's political tensions.
