Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi just rejected the army's ultimatum with a single tweet.
#الرئيس محمد مرسي يؤكد تمسكه بالشرعية الدستورية ويرفض أي محاولة للخروج عليها ويدعوالقوات المسلحة سحب إنذارها ويرفض أي إملاءات داخليةأوخارجية— د.محمد مرسي (@MuhammadMorsi) July 2, 2013
Reuters translated the tweet as follows:
"President Mohamed Mursi asserts his grasp on constitutional legitimacy and rejects any attempt to deviate from it, and calls on the armed forces to withdraw their warning and refuses to be dictated to internally or externally."
Morsi's statement is a response to the Egyptian military, which demanded Monday that he share power with political opponents within 48 hours. Many have interpreted the army's ultimatum to be a coup threat as millions of Egyptians have taken to the streets in demonstrations both for and against Morsi's presidency.
Morsi's tweet was not accompanied by an address on any other medium -- proving Twitter's coming of age as a platform of importance in global affairs. Update: Morsi is now speaking live on state television, refusing to step down while calling for non-violence towards the police and military.
MURSI'S TWEET PUSHING COUNTRY TOWARD `CIVIL WAR': OPPOSITION— zerohedge (@zerohedge) July 2, 2013
Just one tweet ya #Morsi? Something like that deserves, you know, a blogpost or something. Or a tumblr. #Egypt— Iyad El-Baghdadi (@iyad_elbaghdadi) July 2, 2013
And they say Twitter has no impact. MT @hackneylad: Response to Morsi's tweet, #Tahrir is roaring 'irhal' (leave). Loudest chanting yet— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) July 2, 2013
Global Affairs, 2013. RT @thelede: Update: Morsi Issues Defiant Tweet http://t.co/PLzm4XN6uj #Egypt— Alex Fitzpatrick (@AlexJamesFitz) July 2, 2013