Egyptians ‘rebel’ to get 15 million signatures

‘Rebel’ is the latest attempt in a long line of campaigns to mobilize Egyptians against the rule of the brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsi. In an attempt to impeach the president, a petition calling on Egyptians to rebel has managed to secure 2 million signatures in less than a week. The campaign leaders aim to mobilize 15 million to 20 million individuals by June 30, arguing that these numbers would be enough to bring down the president.

Since his election last year, Morsi has been facing escalating opposition, not only from those who didn’t cast him their vote, but also from many who did and are now expressing regret at helping propel him into the position.

So far, his tenure of less than a year has been very bumpy. With a legally disbanded Parliament, a severe crisis with the judiciary and a heavily criticized government, the president finds himself continuously challenged to show Egyptians any signs of life improvement. He has certainly not helped himself much either.

With obvious support from the Brotherhood, Morsi has managed to make all controversial political moves possible in his short time as president. Intentionally alienating much of the organized opposition from any possible dialogue, approving a strongly opposed Constitution and issuing his infamous amendment to make his decisions irreversible has certainly added to the mounting political opposition to his rule. For the majority of Egyptians, it is the lack of any sign of improvement in their daily struggle to survive that might tilt the scales once again.

The escalating frustration on the ground in response to the rising inflation, food prices, transportation congestion and power cuts adds to the general air of despair at the ability of the ruling system to provide a clear trustworthy vision that would rally the majority of Egyptians around.

A continuous political struggle, coupled with an ailing economy, directly feeds into a quickly deteriorating state of society. It is no miracle given the current state of affairs that “Rebel” could continue to gain momentum in the next few weeks. The campaign is also part of a general plan to escalate opposition to the rule of Morsi and the Brotherhood. Circulating rumors seem to point to the end of June as a possible target date for a serious show down of power.

Its document widely shared on various social media sites, “Rebel” has also taken to the streets all over the country, rallying massive numbers of Egyptians to sign hard copies while being filmed on camera in attempts to both speed up the process and compile proof of its genuine nature. In its first week, the campaign was not without response from the Brotherhood and their sympathizers, as a counter-campaign and attempt to block and discredit the initiative have surfaced. There have been unverified minor calls to try “Rebel” on charges of inciting a political coup. To date, no official response has surfaced.

Tactics and anti tactics continue to be the name of the game in Egypt as the struggle for control of the country ebbs and flows. Amid heightened pressure, one cannot help but wonder whether this is the beginning of the countdown for yet another major change. Will 15 million “Rebel” signatures be enough to impeach the president?