Avid Twitter followers saw the short reign of Egypt’s Mohammed Morsi crumble in real time this afternoon, as the army overthrew the mostly tyrannical ruler. Twitter began auto-translating Morsi, who issued a string of desperate tweets.
“Pres. Morsy urges civilians and military members to uphold the law & the Constitution not to accept that coup which turns #Egypt backwards,” tweeted the official account (more tweets embedded below).
https://twitter.com/EgyPresidency/status/352510972046483459
https://twitter.com/EgyPresidency/status/352510525436997632
After widespread protests, the Army issued an ultimatum for Morsi, which he defied in vain. Morsi, with cabinet members resigning en masse, took to his social media accounts in the hopes of starting a revolution. It was, in the words of the Internet, an epic fail.
This afternoon, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces announced that the chief justice would assume the presidency until a new leader can be democratically elected. The successful overthrow of Morsi puts Egypt back at square one.
On the eve of America’s Fourth of July, let us hope that Egypt can enjoy their own independence day by this time next year.