Mohammed Morsi
"Morsi" redirects here. For the American writer, see Pamela Morsi. Mohamed Morsi محمد مرسى 5th President of Egypt In office 30 June 2012 – 3 July 2013 Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri Hesham Qandil Vice President Mahmoud Mekki Preceded by Mohamed Hussein Tantawi (Acting) Succeeded by Adly Mansour (Acting) Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement In office 30 June 2012 – 30 August 2012 Preceded by Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Succeeded by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party In office 30 April 2011 – 24 June 2012 Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Saad El-Katatni Member of the People's Assembly In office 1 December 2000 – 12 December 2005 Preceded by Numan Gumaa Succeeded by Mahmoud Abaza Personal details Born (1951-08-08) 8 August 1951 (age 63) El-Adwah, Sharqia Governorate, Egypt Political party Freedom and Justice Party Other political affiliations Muslim Brotherhood Spouse(s) Naglaa Mahmoud (1979–present) Children Ahmed Shaima Osama Omar Abdullah Alma mater Cairo University University of Southern California Religion Sunni Islam Signature Mohamed Morsi[note 1] (Arabic: محمد محمد مرسى عيسى العياط , ALA-LC: Muḥammad Muḥammad Mursī ‘Īsá al-‘Ayyāṭ, IPA: [mæˈħæmmæd mæˈħæmmæd ˈmoɾsi ˈʕiːsæ (ʔe)l.ʕɑjˈjɑːtˤ]; born 8 August 1951) is a politician who served as the fifth president of Egypt, from 30 June 2012 to 3 July 2013, when he was removed by Field Marshal Abdel Fattah el-Sisi after June 2013 Egyptian protests and 2013 Egyptian coup d'état. He was the first democratically elected head of state in Egyptian history. Mohamed Morsi was educated in Egyptian public schools and universities; he was later granted a scholarship from the Egyptian government to prepare for a Ph.D. degree in the United States. Morsi was a Member of Parliament in the People's Assembly of Egypt from 2000 to 2005, and a leading member in the Muslim Brotherhood. He became Chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) when it was founded by the Muslim Brotherhood in the wake of the 2011 Egyptian revolution after escaping from prison. He stood as the FJP's candidate for the May–June 2012 presidential election. Morsi's victory in the presidential election was announced on 24 June 2012 after he won the run-off election, winning 51.7 percent of the vote against Ahmed Shafik, deposed leader Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister. As president, Morsi granted himself unlimited powers and the power to legislate without judicial oversight or review of his acts, stating that he would protect the nation from the Mubarak-era power structure, which he called "remnants of the old regime" (Arabic: فلول , ALA-LC: fulūl) In late November, he issued an Islamist-backed draft constitution and called for a referendum, an act that his opponents called an "Islamist coup". These issues, along with complaints of prosecutions of journalists and attacks on nonviolent demonstrators, brought hundreds of thousands of protesters to the streets in the 2012 Egyptian protests. On 30 June 2013, protests erupted across Egypt which saw protesters calling for the president's resignation. In response to the events, Morsi was given a 48-hour ultimatum by the military to meet their demands and to solve political differences, or else they would intervene by "implementing their own road map" for the country. The military said that this should not be characterized as the threat of a coup, though. Morsi was unseated on 3 July 2013 by a military coup council consisting of Defense Minister Abdul Fatah al-Sisi, opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb, and Coptic Pope Tawadros II. The military suspended the constitution, established a new administration headed by the chief justice, and initiated a "brutal" crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood. On 1 September 2013, prosecutors referred Morsi to trial on charges of inciting deadly violence. The date was set for 4 November 2013; he is being tried on charges of incitement of murder and violence. He also will be tried on charges of espionage.