AFRICA/EGYPT - Government reshuffle: President Mursi consolidates his power

Cairo (Agenzia Fides) – On August 12 Egypt's president Mohamed Mursi ordered a reshuffle of the government, which led to the retirement of the Minister of Defense, Marshal Hussein Tantawi, hitherto considered the "strong man" of Egypt after Mubarak .
President Mursi appointed Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as the new Minister of Defense and Sidki Sobhi as Chief of Staff and Judge Mahmoud Mekki as Vice-President.
The Head of State also agreed to assume the legislative power, reversing the constitutional decree made by the military council in June (20/06/2012).
The Legislative Assembly had in fact been dissolved by a Constitutional Court ruling (see Fides 15/6/2012) and the Military Council had assumed the legislative power.
Mursi finally granted himself the authority to form a new constituent Assembly to rewrite the Constitution if the one in force were to encounter insurmountable obstacles in its application.
A military source, reported by the state television denied that there were negative reactions from the armed forces for President Mohamed Mursi’s decision to dismiss Marshal Tantawi. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 13/8/2012)