Egypt Military ‘Warns’ President Mursi Over Parliament
Egypt’s military council has said the decision to dissolve parliament must be upheld, after new President Mohammed Mursi ordered the assembly to reopen.
The military closed parliament last month after a court ruling.
Its latest intervention is seen by some as a challenge and warning to the president, who was sworn in barely a week ago.
It could be the first confrontation between the military and the president since Mr Mursi’s election.
On President Mursi’s orders, the speaker has convened a meeting of parliament on Tuesday.
Crowds were gathering in Tahrir Square ahead of the meeting called for 10:00 (08:00 GMT) in defiance of the military’s decision.
The Muslim Brotherhood - Mr Mursi’s power base, which has the biggest bloc of seats in parliament - said it would participate on Tuesday “in a million-man march in support of the president’s decision and reinstating parliament”.
The military council said it was confident “all state institutions” would respect the law and constitution.
The BBC’s Jon Leyne, in Cairo, says the political truce in Egypt appears to be over.
It is unclear how events will unfold as the situation - with the new president elected without a new constitution being drafted, and the parliament theoretically dissolved - is unprecedented, analysts say.