Tara Todras-Whitehill for The New York Times
Protesters against President Mohamed Morsi next to a destroyed barricade near the presidential palace in Cairo on Saturday. More Photos »
CAIRO — Struggling to quell protests and violence that have threatened to derail a vote on an Islamist-backed draft constitution, President Mohamed Morsi moved Saturday to appease his opponents with a package of concessions just hours after state media reported that he was moving toward imposing a form of martial law to secure the streets and the polls.
Tara Todras-Whitehill for The New York Times
Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood carried the bodies of three people killed during clashes on Wednesday at their funeral in Cairo on Friday. More Photos »
Mr. Morsi did not budge on a critical demand of the opposition: that he postpone the constitutional referendum scheduled for next Saturday that his Islamists say will lay the foundation for a new democracy and a return to stability, but that liberal groups have faulted for loopholes in its protections of individual freedoms.
But he held out an olive branch, rescinding most of his sweeping Nov. 22 decree temporarily elevating his decisions above judicial review and offering a convoluted arrangement for eventual amendments to the draft constitution to alleviate the fears of liberal groups.
His approach, rolled out throughout a confusing day, appeared to indicate a determination to do whatever it takes to get to the referendum. Early Saturday, amid growing concerns among his advisers that the interior ministry may be unable to secure either the polls or the institution of government in the face of violent protests against him, the state media reported that Mr. Morsi was moving toward ordering the armed forces to keep order and authorizing its solders to arrest civilians.
Mr. Morsi has not yet formally issued the order reported in Al Ahram, raising the possibility that the newspaper announcement was intended as a warning to his opponents. The military appeared for now, however, to back Mr. Morsi. Mid-day, a military spokesman read a statement over state television saying the military “realizes its national responsibility for maintaining the supreme interests of the nation and securing and protecting the vital targets, public institutions, and the interests of the innocent citizens.”
President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt Said to Prepare Martial Law Decree
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President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt Said to Prepare Martial Law Decree
