Egypt economic troubles might lead to chaos

Ahmed MekkiEgypt’s former justice minister Ahmed Mekki warned on Wednesday that the volatile economic situation in the country might plunge the country into chaos. “The situation in Egypt is tragic due to the difficult economic conditions and it could lead to a crisis that the ordinary citizens would not be able to endure,” Mekki, who served under ousted president Mohamed Morsi, told Anadolu Agency. “As protests continue, several income sources, mainly tourism, would still suffer, so an understanding should be reached for a solution,” he added. Egypt has been in a state of turmoil since the army ousted Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected president, after mass demonstrations against him. Under the roadmap unveiled by the army, the constitution was suspended, the Shura Council was dissolved and Adly Mansour, the head of the constitutional court, was installed as interim president. Ever since then, Morsi supporters have been staging daily rallies and sit-ins to demand his reinstatement. Mekki called on the country’s rival factions to offer concessions to end the political and economic turmoil in the country. “The only solution that seems logic to me is to stick to the roadmap that some political powers agreed on with Defense Minister Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi with a slight change – replacing Mansour with Morsi,” Mekki said. Morsi, currently held at a disclosed location, faces charges of incitement to violence and involvement in killing protesters during clashes outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace in Cairo late last year. “These charges are fabricated, and the defense minister should be the one to blame if they are true,” he said. “How come the former president is accused of killing protesters in Ittihadiya presidential palace while it is being secured by Republican Guard forces?” he added.

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