Cairo set for another and a huge opponents protest against US-backed Morsi

Opponents of Western-backed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi have once again gathered at the iconic Liberation Square in Cairo ahead of a major demonstration planned for Sunday.

The organizers of the major demonstration for Sunday claim that more than 22 million people have signed petition for the resignation of the president and a snap election.

Thousands of anti-government protesters also packed the square on Saturday for the second consecutive day, urging President Morsi to step down.

Protesters are expected to march on Ittihadiya Palace, one of Egypt’s presidential palaces, in the capital, on Sunday. The protest coincides with the first anniversary of Morsi’s inauguration as president.

The planned demonstration comes amid resignations of nine secular lawmakers from the acting parliament. They said on Saturday that they had resigned from the Shura Council (the upper house of Egyptian bicameral parliament) in support of the Egyptian people.

The supporters of Morsi also held a rival demonstration on Saturday, chanting slogans in favor of the president.

In a televised address on June 26, Morsi said the polarization of the country’s political life is “threatening to paralyze” Egypt.

He acknowledged that he had made some mistakes during his first year in office but called for national reconciliation, saying that he was open to cooperating with the opposition on constitutional reform.

On June 27, Egypt’s main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front (NSF), rejected the president’s offer.

The NSF claimed that Morsi had failed to take responsibility for the deep political polarization in the country and the failed economy.

The opposition also accuses Morsi of deviating from the 2011 revolution, which toppled the Western-backed regime of former dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Morsi’s supporters, however, say the president is cleansing Egyptian institutions of corruption but needs time to realize the ideals of the revolution.