CAIRO, Egypt. - Egypt's new president, Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi took his official presidential oath Saturday before the general assembly of the High Constitutional Court. The ceremony was nationally televised.
Friday, Morsi delivered a speech to a huge crowd at Cairo's historic Tahrir Square, promising the people of Egypt to work for the country and serve all its citizens. "I come to you as the source of legitimacy...Everyone hears me, all the people and the cabinet and government, army, police. There is no authority over this authority. You have the power," as reported by the New York Times.
Morsi, also promised that he would work to have Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman released from the U.S. authorities. Rahman is currently being held in a jail in the U.S. for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
According to Morsi's spokesman, he is not seeking to have Rahman freed or pardoned, but merely extradited to Egypt, his homeland on humanitarian grounds.
A White House official told the New York Times, "There is zero chance this happens."
Morsi, however, has more pressing issues at hand. The fate of Egypt transition into a full-fledged democratic state remains top priority.
In addition to creating a fresh constitution and dealing with issues regarding the dissolution of the parliament, Morsi announced that the economy was on the top of his agenda. Establishing stability and focusing on security are other top priorities for the new president-elect.
Morsi also must elect his cabinet. Rumors are floating that the new president-elect Mohamed Morsi has selected a woman and a Christian to serve as his two vice presidents. The appointment comes as a measure to abate suspicions about the Islamist president and his party - the Muslim Brotherhood.
Nothing official has yet been announced.
