(Vatican Radio) Protesters flooded Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday in the second giant
rally this week, angrily vowing to bring down a draft constitution approved by allies
of President Mohammed Morsi, as Egypt appeared headed toward a volatile confrontation
between the opposition and ruling Islamists.
Christopher Wells reports:
The Islamist-led
assembly that worked on the draft for months passed it in a rushed, 16-hour session
that lasted until sunrise Friday.
The vote was abruptly moved up to pass the
draft before Egypt's Constitutional Court rules on Sunday whether to dissolve the
assembly. Liberal, secular and Christian members and secular members had already quit
the council to protest what they call Islamists' hijacking of the process.
The
protests have highlighted an increasingly cohesive opposition leadership of prominent
liberal and secular politicians trying to direct public anger against Morsi and the
Islamists.
The opposition announced plans for an intensified street campaign
of protests and civil disobedience and even a possible march on Morsi's presidential
palace to prevent him from calling a nationwide referendum on the draft, which it
must pass to come into effect. Top judges announced Friday they may refuse to monitor
any referendum, rendering it invalid.