Anti-Morsi campaign garners 13 million signatures

A grassroots signature campaign to remove Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi from office garnered 13 million signatures as of Monday, a spokeswoman for the “Tamarod” — or “rebel” campaign — announced.

Iman al-Mahdy said that her initiative in favor of ousting Morsi would continue to collect signatures until after June, the establishment daily al-Ahram reported.

“The Egyptian people are those who entrusted President Morsi [with the state] and they have the right to withdraw it,” Mahdy said. “He breached the contract with the people, did not fulfill the revolutionary demands and issued a constitution contrary [to those demands].”

The campaign reflects growing discontent with Morsi over Egypt’s ailing economy, fuel shortages and a lack of security, as the president nears the end of a tumultuous first year in office.

On Sunday, the campaign received a further shot in the arm when opposition leader Mohammed ElBaradei called on his Twitter followers to go out and sign the petition.

“A failed and despotic regime that is killing the spirit of the revolution,” wrote ElBaradei. “I call on every Egyptian to sign Tamarod and regain our evolution. Our strength is in our unity, peacefulness and numbers.”

The campaign’s organizers cite both political and economic reasons for demanding Morsi’s ouster. The petition calls for early presidential elections.

“We must rebel over the palpable economic and political deterioration of the country economically after the Muslim Brotherhood, led by Mohammed Morsi, came to power. He violated every parameter of justice and disregarded the Egyptian people’s will and the revolution, as though it never happened,” read a statement on the group’s official Facebook page.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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