The Egyptian military has assumed
responsibility for security and protecting state institutions in the country
until the results of a 15 December constitutional referendum.
The army took up the task on
Monday in line with a decree a day earlier from President Mohammed Morsi.
The presidential edict orders the
military and police to jointly maintain security in the run-up to Saturday's
vote on the disputed charter that was hurriedly approved last month by a panel
dominated by the president's Islamist allies.
The decree, which also grants the
military the right to arrest civilians, is seen as evidence of how jittery the
government is about the referendum, which the main opposition parties have
rejected.
The edict goes into effect on the
eve of mass rallies called by the opposition and Morsi's supporters.