CAIRO - The Egyptian president’s office indicated Sunday a compromise had been reached with the judiciary to defuse an uproar over a proposed law that would have forced out thousands of the country’s most senior judges.
Just three days earlier, the country’s Islamist-led parliament pushed ahead with the disputed bill that would have lowered the retirement age for judges from 70 to 60. That would affect nearly a quarter of Egypt’s 13,000 judges and prosecution officials.
The draft also would have barred the courts from reviewing or overturning presidential decrees issued by the president late last year, including his unilateral appointment of a new top prosecutor.
In an attempt to resolve the situation, President Mohammed Morsi met Sunday with five top judges. A statement from the president’s office after the meeting said Morsi will launch a conference this week to work out a compromise with judges regarding laws that affect the judiciary.
The president’s allies say the courts are filled with loyalists of the deposed regime of former President Hosni Mubarak. The opposition accuses Morsi’s backers of calling for an overhaul of the judiciary as a cover to install their own supporters.
The announcement by the president’s office effectively shelves the law that was under discussion by lawmakers. A new proposal for a judicial-overhaul law will likely first be agreed upon by Morsi and judges, and then be sent to the parliament.
Morsi is also facing divisions within the country’s battered police force.
In another development, dozens of Egyptian police officers disobeyed orders and stormed a superior’s office in the capital, shut down a security directorate in the north and went on strike in the south in a new round of protests Sunday that threaten to unhinge the country’s already weakened security force.
It was the year’s third wave of strikes by police, who demand incentives to work, such as better wages, greater firepower and more benefits.
The police force has not recovered from the days of the 2011 uprising that deposed Mubarak. His police were a symbol of the regime’s unchecked powers and abuses, and they were forced from the streets in the early stages of the revolt by angry protesters.
After losing much of their power, police are now demanding more rights. Last month, thousands of police stopped working for several days. In some cases, citizens found police stations closed.
In an effort to show support, Morsi addressed riot police and attended traditional Islamic Friday prayers with them shortly after their strike ended. He praised the police for protecting security but warned them against divisions.
The Interior Ministry, which oversees police in Egypt, relies on low-ranking police to protect government buildings.Hundreds of policemen have been wounded this year and several have been killed in anti-government protests.
Many officers say they are fed up with promises of change. Thousands of low-ranking officers have refused orders to guard courts during heated trials and protests.
On Sunday, dozens of low-ranking officers stormed the office of the deputy interior minister in charge of health care for police. His office is inside the main police hospital in Cairo’s Nileside neighborhood of Agouza. They said promises of better health care have gone unfulfilled.
In the south, police at two stations in the province of Assuit went on strike, charging that the government did not fulfill any of their demands.
Some policemen are protesting purported attempts by the powerful Muslim Brotherhood to try to control the force, a charge the Islamist group denies. For decades, Egypt’s police aggressively targeted the Brotherhood, and Morsi himself was imprisoned under Mubarak.
Rights activists accuse the police force of continuing its brutal tactics under Morsi. Around 100 protesters have been killed in confrontations with police this year. There are concerns that a recent decision to purchase 100,000 new 9mm pistols for police could lead to an even greater use of excessive force against unarmed protesters and civilians.
Also Sunday, several thousand students from state universities marched through Cairo, taking their demands to Cabinet headquarters. They called for the dismissal of the minister of higher education, Mustafa Mosaad, accusing him of allowing violence on campuses against student protests. They also want improvements in the education system.
In other news, Egypt’s state news agency said a court turned down Mubarak’s request to be released from prison during an investigation into corruption charges.
Front Section, Pages 6 on 04/29/2013