Dozens hold anti-Morsi rally in Egypt's Sharqiya

Dozens of Egyptians attended a rally organised by the anti-government 'Rebel' campaign near Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's private residence in the Nile Delta city of Sharqiya on Wednesday evening to demand his ouster. The protest comes ahead of anti-Morsi protests on Sunday to demand the president's resignation and snap elections. Campaign members in Sharqiya distributed anti-Morsi petitions to protesters, who chanted against Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood group from which he hails. Police, meanwhile, blocked all roads leading to the president's residence. Simultaneously, some 300 anti-government protesters gathered in front of the Sharqiya governor's office, where they blocked one of the city's main thoroughfares. President Morsi is expected to deliver a speech Wednesday evening at 9:30pm, described by a presidential spokesman earlier this week as "very important." The 'Rebel' campaign was initiated in May. It is supported by the National Salvation Front (NSF), Egypt's main opposition umbrella group, along with a handful of Islamist groups who disapprove of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. The campaign claims to have collected 15 million citizens' signatures in support of 'withdrawing confidence' in the president, exceeding the 13.2 million votes garnered by Morsi in Egypt's first-ever free presidential election one year ago. Citing Egypt's increasingly dire economic situation, campaigners accuses Morsi of "failing to implement policies to improve the lives of ordinary people." From : Ahram Online