When the Egyptian parliament assembled on Tuesday for the first time since it had been dissolved by the constitutional court and the military council, several of the seats remained empty. Not all of the delegates followed the new president's decree declaring the dissolution of parliament illegal and calling on the members to return. It was especially the liberal delegates who decided to stay away - for them, the decision by the highest court, confirmed by the court on Monday, hat more weight than the decree by the president.

Mohammed Khalifa of the Muslim Brotherhood however came specifically to witness what he saw as a demonstration of power by Egypt's first freely elected parliament. Standing in front of the building, he said the people were back on the right track. "The military council had taken the power away from the people," he said, "and [President Mohammed] Morsi has given it back to them. He has kept his word."

A minority of the liberal political forces has also thrown its support behind the president. For the April 6 youth movement, his move was "an important signal against the military council," and they support his policy of open confrontation.

At its inauguration, the Egyptian parliament had no empty seats

Liberals criticize president

But most of the liberal politicians have criticized the newly elected president and accuse him of violating democratic principles. The former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi described it as "a waste of legal authority." Nobel peace prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei tweeted that "the decree throws Egypt back to a time when the decision by one man was more important than the rule of law."

Only a few days ago, the president promised to be faithful to the institutions of the state. He took his oath of office in front of the judges of the constitutional court. And yet his decree is a move ignoring a decision by those very same judges. They ruled that a third of the seats had illegally been given to party members. The military council then dissolved the parliament.

Growing domestic pressure

The fact that Morsi's decree has alienated the liberals may well have consequences. Morsi ran as the candidate for the Muslim Brotherhood, but he enjoyed the support of many liberals in the hope that he would break the power of the military council. The growing rift between Morsi and the liberals may now weaken him in his power struggle with the council.

But it's still unclear whether he really wants to challenge them. Political scientist Amr Ismael of Cairo University thinks, the conflict might just be a show. "It's possible that the decree is part of a deal between the generals and the Muslim Brotherhood," he said. His claim seems to be backed up by the fact that Morsi and the chairman of the military council, Hussein Tantawi, both attended a military parade on Monday, side by side and in good spirits.

International political backing

Germany's Westerwelle promised continued support for Egypt

The dispute over the decree comes at a time when Morsi is feeling political opposition from abroad. On Wednesday he's scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday he met with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in Cairo, who said he was optimistic the conflict could be solved. Westerwelle described Morsi as someone who stood for tolerance, pluralism and the rule of law. He appealed to all Egyptians to continue on their path to democracy, adding that Germany has always been a good partner for Egypt: "You can rely on Germany."

Egypt's institutional crisis

In September, Morsi is to meet with his country's most important foreign financier: US President Barack Obama. The invitation from Washington was made public just before the release of the decree to reinstate parliament. Political analyst Amr Ismael doesn't think that this was accidental. Morsi wanted to demonstrate both his power and his international support.

But the power struggle between the military council and the Muslim Brotherhood is becoming an institutional crisis. It remains unclear whether laws the parliament passes will be valid. It also remains to be seen what consequences the decree has for future decisions by the constitutional court. And the members of parliament are having to debate whose instructions they ought to follow in the future.

Author: Viktoria Kleber, Cairo / ai

Editor: Michael Lawton