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Egypt's first democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi's decision to give himself near-absolute powers saw opponents and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood party clash in one of the worst violent outbursts since he took office.
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The edicts by Morsi, which were issued on November 23, have turned months of growing polarisation into an open battle between his Muslim Brotherhood and liberals who fear a new dictatorship over Egypt.
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The unrest also underscored the struggle over the direction of Egypt's turbulent passage nearly two years after a popular uprising toppled Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian regime, Fox News reports.
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In a thunderous speech in front of a presidential palace in Cairo, Morsi told thousands of cheering supporters on Friday that the sweeping decrees he asserted himself were intended to defend the revolution that led to Morsi's election this June.
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Egyptians who took part in the revolution that toppled Mubarak said another angrier and bigger revolution would take place.
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They had now aligned with former Mubarak supporters who denounced Morsi's moves, the Washington Post reports.
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"Overthrowing Morsi is a demand of the revolutionaries and also of the remnants of the old regime. Now it's going to be the two groups together. Winds do not blow as the ships wish. There's going to be another angry revolution," said Mohamed ElBeshlawy, 32, an accountant.
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The United States has expressed concern for Egyptians and for the international community.
"The decisions and declarations announced on November 22 raise concerns for many Egyptians and for the international community," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in a statement.
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"One of the aspirations of the revolution was to ensure that power would not be overly concentrated in the hands of any one person or institution," Nuland said.
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