Showdown Egypt's Morsy Defies Military Ultimatum

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy refused Tuesday to bow to a military ultimatum that he find a solution to the unrest sweeping the country or be pushed aside, setting the stage for a possible showdown. Morsy declared he was elected president in balloting that was free and representative of the will of the people. "The people of Egypt gave me the mandate for president. They chose me in a free election. The people created a constitution which requires me to stay with the constitution," he said in a televised speech. "I have no choice but to bear responsibility for the Egyptian constitution." The speech came as the clock ticked on the military's plan to suspend the country's constitution, dissolve the Islamist-led parliament and sideline the president, if Morsy does not strike a deal with the opposition to end the unrest, military sources told Arab media and Reuters. Morsy's defiance sets the stage for a potentially violent showdown, pitting Morsy's supporters -- the Muslim Brotherhood -- against an opposition angered by what they say is the president's failure to take steps to improve conditions more than two years after a popular revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak. Morsy gave no indication of stepping down, sharing power or calling early elections, saying he was calling on the military to withdraw its ultimatum and return to its rightful work. In Morsy's place, the military has said it would install an interim council, made up mainly of civilians, until a new constitution can be drafted and a new president elected, the sources said. It was unclear what steps the military would take given Morsy's refusal to meet its Wednesday evening deadline. The military has previously stopped short of saying that it was suggesting a coup. The ultimatum was meant to push all factions toward a national consensus; the armed forces aren't looking to be part of the political or ruling circles, a spokesman, Col. Ahmed Ali, said Monday in a written statement. While insisting they want no direct role in national politics, the military leaders appeared to be pressuring Morsy to restructure his government. The steps could include reducing the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in his Cabinet and calling early presidential and parliamentary elections, a source close to highly placed members of Egypt's leadership told CNN. Violent clashes The news came as reports surfaced of clashes between anti-Morsy protesters and Morsy's supporters in Cairo where anti-government demonstrators took to the streets for the third consecutive day calling for the country's first democratically elected president to step down. At least seven people were killed and dozens more wounded in clashes late Tuesday at Cairo University, said Dr. Yehya Moussa, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health. Most of those killed died from gunshot wounds, he said. Conflicting casualty reports during the day and into the evening put the death toll across Egypt anywhere from two to seven people killed and 144 wounded, according to Arab media and sources. CNN could not confirm the casualty counts. The growing unrest prompted U.S. President Barack Obama's administration to urge Morsy to call early elections, while warning the Egyptian military that it risked losing U.S. aid if it carried out a coup, senior administration officials told CNN. and Justice Party called for several nationwide rallies to support the leader. Thousands of his supporters poured into the streets in a Cairo suburb and at Cairo University.