Morsi Says Won't Step Down, Vows to Protect 'Legitimacy' with His Life

Islamist President Mohamed Morsi told Egyptians on Tuesday that he had been freely elected little more than a year ago and that he intended to continue to carry out his duties despite mass protests demanding his resignation.

"The people chose me in free and fair elections," Morsi said in a televised address to the nation, adding that he would "continue to shoulder his responsibilities" as Egypt struggles with the legacy of decades of authoritarian rule.

The president said that respect for the constitutional order was the "only guarantee against further bloodshed," in a veiled attack against an ultimatum issued by the army for him to strike a deal with his opponents or have one imposed.

Morsi said he stood ready to "give my life" to defend constitutional legitimacy, echoing comments by a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood who urged supporters to be ready to sacrifice their lives to prevent a coup.

The president renewed his appeal to the opposition to join a dialogue, an appeal it has already repeatedly rejected as a sham.

He once again accused supporters of the regime of ousted president Hosni Mubarak of trying to sow chaos and incite violence.

Remnants of the old regime "want chaos... they don't want democracy," Morsi said.

He warned that "violence and bloodshed is a trap. If we fall for it, it won't end."

Legitimacy, he said, was the only guarantee against bloodshed.

The campaign behind protests that saw millions of Egyptians calling for Morsi to step down accused him of "threatening his own people."

"This is a president threatening his own people," said Mohammed Abdelaziz, a leader of the Tamarod campaign.

"We don't consider him the president of Egypt," Abdelaziz told an Egyptian television channel.

An earlier message posted on Morsi’s official Twitter account said: "President Morsi insists on (his) constitutional legitimacy and rejects any attempt to overstep it."

"(He) calls on the armed forces to withdraw their warning and rejects any dictates, domestic or foreign."

Morsi's statement came after millions took to the streets demanding his resignation, prompting the army to give him 48 hours to respond to the demands of the people or face an imposed solution.

The army gave all political forces until Wednesday to find a way out of the current crisis before it imposed its own roadmap.

On Tuesday, at least seven people died and dozens others were injured in clashes in Cairo between Morsi's supporters and opponents.