Islamist president-elect takes symbolic oath, and vows to free Muslim cleric jailed in U.S. for a plot to blow up New York City landmarks. Egypt’s Islamist President-elect Mohamed Morsi took an informal oath of office on Friday in a speech to supporters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, in a slap at the generals trying to limit his power.
“There is no power above people power,” Morsi said to wild cheers from the crowd, many of whom were supporters of the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood.
“Today you are the source of this power. You give this power to whoever you want and you withhold it from whoever you want, with God’s blessings.”
Morsi has also vowed to free the blind sheik jailed in the U.S. for a plot to blow up New York City landmarks.
Morsi promised Saturday to work to free Omar Abdel-Rahman, the spiritual leader of men convicted in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
He also promised to free detained Egyptian protesters facing military tribunals.
Morsi is to be sworn in officially on Saturday by the constitutional court, rather than parliament as is usual.
The court dissolved the Islamist-dominated lower house this month in a series of measures designed to ensure that the generals who took over from ousted ruler Hosni Mubarak will keep a strong grip on Egypt’s affairs even after Morsi takes power.