The night of July 3, 2013 was not like other nights in the lives of Egyptians. On that night, the Egyptian Minister of Defense at the time, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, turned against the first elected Egyptian civilian president in the history of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi, and announced his removal, detained him in an unknown location, and suspended the work of the constitution. Orders were issued to arrest hundreds of members of the Muslim Brotherhood, who were later referred to trial, and death sentences were issued for many of them.
Vast plot
With the arrival of the first anniversary of his assumption of power, the conspiracy against President Mohamed Morsi reached its peak, and his opponents organized a series of demonstrations with the blessing and support of army leaders demanding that he step down. The coup organizers later called it the “June 30 Revolution,” considering it similar to the January 25, 2011 revolution that overthrew the ousted President Hosni Mubarak. With Emirati and intelligence support, the Tamarod movement was established on April 26, 2013. It is a movement that collects Egyptian signatures to withdraw confidence from Mohamed Morsi and hold early presidential elections. Tamarod announced that it had collected 22 million signatures to withdraw confidence from Morsi, and called on the signatories to demonstrate on June 30, 2013. Meanwhile, the Tajard Movement, which supports President Morsi, stated that it had collected 26 million signatures affirming its adherence to Morsi as a legitimate president. Before the coup, on the night of the coup, President Morsi gave a speech in which he defended his legitimacy, and called for dialogue and the formation of a committee to amend the constitution and national reconciliation, but the opposition refused to respond to his call, and Mohamed ElBaradei read out a statement. The opposition Salvation Front said that Mohamed Morsi’s speech “reflected a clear inability to acknowledge the difficult reality that Egypt is experiencing due to his failure to manage the country’s affairs since he took office a year ago.” The Front insisted on calling for early presidential elections.
The defining moment
With the end of ElBaradei’s speech, the army’s awaited moment came, with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rising to the forefront of the scene, and in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, announcing a statement giving the political forces 48 hours “to bear the burdens of the historical circumstance, and if the people’s demands are not met during this period, the Armed Forces will announce a map for the future and measures to supervise its implementation.” A few hours after the armed forces’ statement, the presidency issued a statement in which it said that it believes that some of the phrases contained in the army’s statement “carry connotations that could cause confusion in the complex national scene.”
The moment of reversal
With the expiration of the deadline set by the Egyptian Armed Forces for the various political parties to reach an agreement, Defense Minister Abdel Fattah El-Sisi announced the end of President Mohamed Morsi’s rule, with the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, Counselor Adly Mansour, taking over the administration of the country’s affairs until early presidential elections are held, and he suspended work on the constitution. Following the statement, Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb delivered a statement, which was followed by a statement by Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, and then a statement by Mohamed ElBaradei. They were present at the press conference in which the coup statement was announced. The Ministry of Interior also issued a statement confirming its support for the armed forces’ statement, while a video statement was published on President Morsi’s official Facebook page rejecting the army’s statement, warning against “stealing the revolution,” and calling on “all citizens, both civilian and military, not to respond to this coup.” As for the Freedom and Justice Party, it quickly condemned the coup, and stated that it “will stand decisively against this military coup and will not cooperate with the country’s current administration that is usurping power.” Leaders from the Al-Wasat Party criticized the coup and said that it “leads to an unclear transitional phase.” The National Coalition to Support Legitimacy to Combat the Coup was established after that, and included several Egyptian parties and public figures. Demonstrations began throughout Egypt, demanding the return of the elected legitimate president, Mohamed Morsi.
Global response
Western reactions to the coup varied, but they did not reach the level of condemnation. After announcing the removal of President Morsi, the American embassy was evacuated of all its staff. US President Barack Obama expressed his “deep concern” about Morsi’s removal and called for a quick return to civilian life, at a time when Britain declared that it “does not support military intervention to resolve conflicts in democratic systems” and called for calm. Germany considered the coup “a major failure of democracy” and called for “Egypt’s return to the constitutional system as soon as possible.” As for France, it said that it hopes that preparations for the elections will take place in light of respect for civil peace, pluralism, individual freedoms, and the gains in the transitional process, so that the Egyptian people can choose their leaders and their future. While the Turkish Foreign Minister at the time, Ahmet Davutoglu, considered what happened an “unacceptable military coup.” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that “military interference in the affairs of any country is a matter of concern,” and called for “urgently strengthening civilian rule in accordance with the principles of democracy,” while European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton called for “a rapid return to the democratic process, including holding free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections.” The King of Saudi Arabia at the time, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, quickly congratulated Chancellor Adly Mansour on assuming the presidency and called for “wisdom and reason.” The United Arab Emirates also blessed the position of the Egyptian army, while the Yemeni interim president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, sent a cable of congratulations to the interim president, Adly Muhammad Mansour, on his assumption of power. He expressed his confidence in the ability of the political, popular, and youth forces and civil society organizations in Egypt to cross Egypt to safety. As for the head of the Syrian regime’s militias, Bashar al-Assad, he considered the unrest taking place in Egypt a defeat for “political Islam,” and said in a press interview, “Whoever brings religion to use it for the benefit of politics or for the benefit of one group over another will fall anywhere in the world.” As for the African Union, it announced the suspension of Egypt’s membership in all of the Union’s activities until constitutional order was restored. The Tunisian president at that time, Moncef Marzouki, announced in an official statement that “the interference of the military institution in direct political affairs is rejected internationally and in the Charter of the African Union.” He strongly condemned the military coup against “democratic legitimacy,” in addition to his request from the authorities to “protect the physical and moral integrity of President Mohamed Morsi and members of the Egyptian government.”
