Egypt military to maintain security until vote

December 9, 2012 at 12:52 p.m.

by The Associated Press

An Egyptian protester smokes a cigarette outside her tent in Tahrir square in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012. Egypt's liberal opposition has called for more protests on Sunday after the president made concessions overnight that fell short of their demands to rescind a draft constitution going to a referendum on Dec. 15.
An Egyptian protester smokes a cigarette outside her tent in Tahrir square in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012. Egypt's liberal opposition has called for more protests on Sunday after the president made concessions overnight that fell short of their demands to rescind a draft constitution going to a referendum on Dec. 15.

CAIRO — Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi has ordered the military to maintain security and protect state institutions until after the results of the Dec. 15 referendum on the disputed draft constitution.

The decision, made public when it was published in the official gazette Sunday, also grants the military the right to arrest civilians as they oversee their mission. The decision is effective Monday.

It indicates how jittery the government is about the referendum scheduled for next Saturday amid increasingly vocal opposition.

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