Egypt postponed the start of early voting on a disputed draft constitution Friday, signaling an attempt by President Mohammed Morsi's government to back down and give room for negotiations with the opposition as it faces mass protests calling for the referendum to be canceled. 
 
 Egyptian army tanks secure the perimeter of the presidential palace while protesters gather chanting anti president Mohammed Morsi slogans, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. Egypt's political crisis... (Associated Press) 
 
 Egyptian protesters take down barbed wire during a demonstration in front of the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. Egypt's political crisis spiraled deeper into bitterness and... (Associated Press) 
 
 Egyptian army tanks secure the perimeter of the presidential palace while protesters gather chanting anti president Mohammed Morsi slogans, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. Egypt's political crisis... (Associated Press) 
 
 Egyptian army tanks secure the perimeter of the presidential palace while protesters gather chanting anti president Mohammed Morsi slogans, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. Thousands of Egyptians... (Associated Press) 
 
 Supporters of Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, pictured at right, chant slogans during the funeral of three victims who were killed during Wednesday's clashes outside Al-Azhar... (Associated Press) 
 
 Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian President Morsi supporters carry two bodies who were killed during Wednesday's clashes during their funeral outside Al Azhar mosque, the highest Islamic Sunni institution,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian President Morsi supporters carry a body of one of six victims who were killed during Wednesday's clashes during their funeral outside Al Azhar mosque, the highest Islamic... (Associated Press) 
 
 Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian President Morsi supporters carry a body of one of the six victims who were killed during Wednesday's clashes during their funeral outside Al Azhar mosque, the highest Islamic... (Associated Press) 
 
 Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian President Morsi supporters carry a body one of six victims who were killed during Wednesday's clashes during their funeral outside Al Azhar mosque, the highest Islamic... (Associated Press) 
 
 Egyptian riot police stand guard during a demonstration in front of the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. Egypt's political crisis spiraled deeper into bitterness and recrimination... (Associated Press) 
 
 Egyptian riot police stand guard, background, as protesters chant anti-Muslim Brotherhood slogans during a demonstration in front of the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. Egypt's... (Associated Press) 
 
 Egyptian army soldiers stand guard during a demonstration in front of the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. Egypt's political crisis spiraled deeper into bitterness and recrimination... (Associated Press) 
 
 Supporters of Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, chant slogans during the funeral of three victims who were killed during Wednesday's clashes outside Al-Azhar mosque, the highest... (Associated Press) 
 
 Egyptian army tanks secure the perimeter of the presidential palace while protesters gather chanting anti president Mohammed Morsi slogans, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. Thousands of Egyptians... (Associated Press) 
 
 An Egyptian protester carries a copy of Al Wafd newspaper front page that reads in Arabic "the brotherhood's crime, no legitimacy for a governor who is against his people," during a protest against President... (Associated Press) 
 
 The announcement made by the head of Egypt's election committee Ismail Hamdi came a day after Morsi appealed for dialogue even as he accused tens of thousands of protesters marching on his palace of being infiltrated by thugs. He has so far made no concrete concessions to defuse the crisis that has plunged the country into new turmoil and the two sides appeared at a deadlock. 
 
 Egypt political crisis has been building up since Morsi issued a decree on Nov. 22 that gave him absolute powers and immunity from judicial oversight. 
 
 The crisis intensified when Morsi called for a Dec. 15 national referendum on the draft constitution produced by Islamists-led constituent assembly after rushing it in a marathon session. Liberals had quit the assembly, which was already facing legal appeals to disband it. The draft came with loopholes and was infused with articles that liberals fear would pave the way for Islamizing Egypt. 
 
 The opposition has rejected talks, saying Morsi must first cancel the referendum and meet other demands. 
 
 Hamdi said the weeklong voting by Egyptians abroad, which had been due to begin Saturday, will begin Wednesday instead. 
 
 It was not immediately clear if the postponement was a concession or how that would affect the overall referendum timeline. 
 
 But Legal Affairs Minister Mohammed Mahsoub said the administration was weighing several proposals. He said those included calling off the referendum and returning the draft to the constituent assembly for changes or disbanding the whole constituent assembly and forming a new one, either by direct vote or upon an agreement among the political forces. 
 
 "We have a big chance tomorrow," he said referring to what he said a meeting between political forces with Morsi. "There are no deadlines or referendums outside the country. Tomorrow or day after, we might reach a good agreement," he told the network. 
 
 Egypt's Vice President Mahmoud Mekki also told the pan-Arab television station Al-Jazeera that he had contacted leading democracy advocate Mohamed ElBaradei to join the president in dialogue. ElBaradei is leading the newly formed National Salvation Front, an umbrella group of liberals and youth groups that opposed Morsi's decrees. 
 
 He added that "until now the referendum is due Dec. 15" until agreement could be reached. 
 
 Before the announcement, after night fell, tens of thousands of Egyptian protesters pushed past barbed wire fences installed by the army and march on the presidential palace, calling for Morsi to "leave." 
 
 But on hearing the postponement of vote for Egyptians abroad, some expressed optimism. 
 
 "This looks like the beginning of a retraction," said 56-year-old doctor Mohsen Ibrahim. "This means Morsi may postpone the referendum. It looks like the pressure is working out." 
 
 But he warned that "if Morsi doesn't see the numbers of people protesting, then he will be repeating the same mistake of (Hosni) Mubarak." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report. ||||| Reuters Protesters chant slogans against President Morsi Thursday in front of a barricade guarded by a tank outside the presidential palace in Cairo. 
 
 CAIRO—Egypt President Mohammed Morsi made a tentative concession to his opponents Thursday after the government deployed tanks to end demonstrations by the presidential palace, as planned protests threatened more violence on Friday. 
 
 Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi addressed his people late Thursday as his nation's army deployed tanks to clear the area outside the presidential palace following fierce street battles. Matt Bradley has details on The News Hub. Photo: Getty Images. 
 
 In a late-night address to the nation, Mr. Morsi invited political leaders to meet with him on Saturday to discuss withdrawing a controversial article from a constitutional declaration that awarded the president near absolute power late last month. 
 
 By falling so short of their demands, some opposition leaders said the speech was more likely to inflame protests against Mr. Morsi's recently expanded powers than to assuage them. 
 
 Mr. Morsi's speech was followed immediately by violence. The Cairo headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the powerful Islamist organization Mr. Morsi once led, was set on fire, according to the group's official Twitter account. There were no immediate reports of injuries. 
 
 More than 30 Brotherhood buildings have been set alight since violent confrontations between secularists and Islamists began late last month, said Gehad al Haddad, an adviser to the Brotherhood's leadership. 
 
 Protests Intensify in Cairo Photos View Slideshow Nasser Nasser/Associated Press The Egyptian army deployed tanks Thursday in Cairo. 
 
 Read More Egypt Sees Largest Clashes Since Revolution 
 
 In his speech, Mr. Morsi made no offer to meet opposition demands that he reschedule a Dec. 15 referendum on a proposed constitution. But he pledged to form a new assembly to write another constitution if the current draft is rejected in the national vote. 
 
 Speaking with a level voice and displaying little emotion, Mr. Morsi castigated his opponents, accusing them of acting in the thrall of former regime loyalists and foreign saboteurs, while casting himself as the final protector of Egypt's security and stability. 
 
 Enlarge Image Close European Pressphoto Agency An Egyptian protester on Wednesday in Cairo holds a placard reading in Arabic, "Morsi is not allowed in." 
 
 "It is my duty to safeguard the homeland, to work relentlessly for its stability and the safety of all its citizens," he said. 
 
 Activists said the speech's unyielding tone was redolent of the kind of the political hubris that has marked the beginning of the end for a series of Arab leaders who were eventually toppled by public protests and armed mutinies throughout the so-called Arab Spring, including former Egypt President Hosni Mubarak. 
 
 "This is the same Mubarak speech," said Wael Eskandar, a prominent, secular-leaning activist, blogger and journalist. Mr. Mubarak's late concessions only further angered a public already in the throes of dissent. 
 
 "This is what happens with dictators," Mr. Eskandar said. "They become obstinate and they keep pushing for what they want and offer no concessions until they start losing on the ground." 
 
 The White House said President Barack Obama called Mr. Morsi to express his concern about the deaths and injuries of protesters and welcomed the Egyptian leader's call for a dialogue, which Mr. Obama said "should occur without preconditions." 
 
 Two spokesmen for opposition political parties said it was unclear Thursday night whether they would send representatives to Mr. Morsi's Saturday dialogue. But protests scheduled for Friday appeared set to proceed. 
 
 Police have stepped in to separate pro- and anti-government demonstrators outside the presidential palace in Cairo. WSJ's Matt Bradley reports on further violence overnight and the possibility of an escalation in the runup to Friday prayers. 
 
 Demonstrations outside the Egyptian Presidential Palace in Cairo turned violent as Islamist demonstrators supporting president Mohammed Morsi clashed with secular protesters who oppose him. Video by WSJ's Matt Bradley via #WorldStream. 
 
 Mr. Morsi outraged his opponents and many of his supporters when he expanded his own powers late last month at the expense of the country's judges. 
 
 The president and the powerful Brotherhood organization that backs him say the judiciary is stocked with former Mubarak loyalists intent on overthrowing his new Islamist government. 
 
 To avoid a confrontation with the judges, Mr. Morsi's allies in a constitutional drafting panel rushed to approve a draft of the document days before an Egyptian court was scheduled to rule on the committee's legitimacy. 
 
 But Mr. Morsi's opponents—among them the youthful revolutionaries who spearheaded Mr. Mubarak's downfall nearly two years ago—said the president's decree and his handling of the constitution smacked of an Islamist putsch. 
 
 Mr. Haddad said that the president has always been open to dialogue, but that his opponents remain so unorganized they can't even articulate a unified set of demands. Instead, Mr. Morsi's opponents are motivated more by suspicion of an Islamist leader and resentment over his popularity than Mr. Morsi's aggressive political moves, he said. 
 
 "I think that this reinforces the fact that the door is still open," Mr. Haddad said. "We can't help that they lost the presidential election. Going on TV channels and whining about it isn't going to help." 
 
 The president's speech came on the back of some of the most shocking violence that has afflicted Egypt's two-year-long postrevolutionary transition. Clashes between Mr. Morsi's supporters and his mostly secular opponents near the presidential palace on Wednesday night left six people dead and more than 400 injured, according to the official state news agency. 
 
 Enlarge Image Close Associated Press Mr. Morsi addresses the nation. 
 
 The Republican Guard, an elite military unit charged with protecting the president, deployed tanks and armored cars in front of the presidential palace on Thursday morning to keep order. The Islamist protesters who had camped their overnight left quietly after the soldiers issued a 3 p.m. ultimatum. 
 
 In his speech on Thursday, Mr. Morsi addressed the previous night's violence directly, using it to justify his own extraordinary expansion of power. 
 
 "Those who have taken advantage of the situation—paying thugs, buying arms, handing out money—the time has come for them to be penalized by the law," the president said. 
 
 "Confessions" from thugs revealed that they had been paid, Mr. Morsi said. "Today I would like to reiterate that the facts that made me hand down the presidential decree are represented in the events threatening the security of the homeland." 
 
 Write to Matt Bradley at matt.bradley@dowjones.com 
 
 A version of this article appeared December 7, 2012, on page A8 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Egypt Leader Tries to Calm Opposition. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Shaimaa Khalil: "Morsi attempting to assert control" 
 
 Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has ordered the military to maintain security and protect state institutions in the run-up to a controversial referendum on a new constitution. 
 
 The army has also been given the power to arrest civilians. 
 
 Mr Morsi has tried to calm public anger by annulling a decree giving him huge powers, but rejected a call to scrap the 15 December constitutional vote. 
 
 Opposition leaders called for protests on Tuesday against the referendum. 
 
 The opposition was "not aiming at toppling the president" but wanted a better constitution, former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa told the BBC. 
 
 Islamist groups have said they will hold counter demonstrations, raising fears of further bloody clashes on the streets of the Egyptian capital. 
 
 Egypt's crisis 22 Nov: Presidential decree gives Mr Morsi sweeping new powers 
 
 Presidential decree gives Mr Morsi sweeping new powers 30 Nov: Islamist-dominated constituent assembly adopts draft constitution 
 
 Islamist-dominated constituent assembly adopts draft constitution 1 Dec: Mr Morsi sets 15 December as date for constitutional referendum 
 
 Mr Morsi sets 15 December as date for constitutional referendum 2 Dec: Judges go on strike 
 
 Judges go on strike 5 Dec: Clashes outside presidential palace 
 
 Clashes outside presidential palace 7 Dec: Protesters breach palace cordon 
 
 Protesters breach palace cordon 8 Dec: Mr Morsi rescinds his presidential decree but remains firm on referendum 
 
 In another apparent concession, the president suspended a big tax increase on the sale of a variety of goods including soft drinks, cigarettes and beer. 
 
 The decision was carried in a statement that appeared on Mr Morsi's Facebook page in the early hours of Monday, state-owned al-Ahram newspaper reported. 
 
 Weakened police 
 
 As tension increased before Saturday's referendum, Mr Morsi ordered the military to maintain security "up to the announcement of the results from the referendum", AFP news agency reports. 
 
 The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says the step will raise fears that Egypt is moving back towards military rule. 
 
 Under the new presidential decree, the military is asked to co-ordinate with the police on maintaining security and is also entitled to arrest civilians. 
 
 The police have been seen as weakened since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak and failed to intervene when anti-Muslim Brotherhood protesters ransacked the Islamist movement's Cairo headquarters last week, correspondents say. 
 
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 An increased military presence was visible on Monday close to the presidential palace, which has been the focus of opposition demonstrations. The army has sealed off the area with concrete blocks. 
 
 It is not yet clear whether the opposition will boycott Saturday's referendum. However, a group of senior judges announced on Monday that they would be prepared to oversee the vote, on certain conditions. 
 
 Votes in Egypt are traditionally supervised by the judiciary but the 22 November presidential decree led thousands of judges to go on strike. 
 
 Now, with the decree rescinded, the State Council Judges' Club has agreed to oversee the vote as long as pro-Morsi supporters call a halt to a sit-in outside Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court. 
 
 The court suspended work on 2 December, citing "psychological pressure" from Islamists who had prevented a meeting on a draft of the new constitution. The protesters had wanted to block a ruling on the legality of the document. 
 
 'Division and sedition' 
 
 The opposition argues that the constitution was drafted by an assembly dominated by Mohammed Morsi's Islamist allies. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Nobel peace laureate and founder of the Constitution Party, Mohamed ElBaradei: "The whole process is hostage to religious institution rather than judiciary" 
 
 In a statement after talks on Sunday, the opposition National Salvation Front said it would not recognise the draft constitution "because it does not represent the Egyptian people". 
 
 "We reject the referendum which will certainly lead to more division and sedition," spokesman Sameh Ashour said. 
 
 In a BBC interview, one of the Front's main leaders, Amr Moussa, insisted they were not "aiming at doing anything that would lead to the disintegration of the state". 
 
 "Why should we make the people swallow a constitution that could have been much better and should have been much better?" 
 
 On Sunday, hundreds of opposition protesters protested against the referendum outside the presidential palace. 
 
 Analysis Many Egyptians are furious that their lives have not got better since the revolution. They point to a lack of reform, with no economic progress, no attempt to cleanse the notoriously brutal and corrupt police force, let alone any success in sorting out Egypt's many other problems, such as the piles of rubbish on the streets, the terrible traffic, and the filthy and polluted environment. As for President Morsi, he is fighting a battle on two fronts. While many opponents object to the Islamic tendencies in the new constitution, he is also under enormous pressure not to give ground to the liberals. No easy way out of Egypt crisis 
 
 They chanted anti-Muslim Brotherhood slogans and held up banners reading slogans such as "Morsi, hold back your thugs" and "The people demand the fall of the regime". 
 
 But Mohamed Soudan, foreign relations secretary of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, said Mr Morsi was constitutionally bound to go ahead with the vote because the date had been announced by the constituent assembly. 
 
 The president says he is trying to safeguard the revolution that overthrew Hosni Mubarak last year, but his critics accuse him of acting like a dictator. 
 
 Mr Morsi's decree of 22 November stripped the judiciary of any right to challenge his decisions and triggered violent protests. 
 
 Although the decree has been annulled, some decisions taken under it still stand. 
 
 The general prosecutor, who was dismissed, will not be reinstated, and the retrial of former regime officials will go ahead.
– Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi returned to the presidential palace today after fleeing yesterday when it was thronged by protesters, Reuters reports. Though 200 demonstrators camped out overnight, traffic was back to normal today and riot police had left the area. In yesterday's clashes, 35 protesters and 40 police officers were hurt. And things are looking to heat up again soon: The Muslim Brotherhood has called for a protest at the palace today against the "oppressive abuses" of the opposition, and the opposition in response called for leftist demonstrators to head back to the palace, leading to fears of violent clashes. Opposition protesters want Morsi to retract his expanded powers and stop a Dec. 15 vote on the new constitution hastily drafted by Islamists. Though they called yesterday's protest a "last warning" to the president, Reuters notes that they have little real chance of stopping the vote, which Morsi is confident will approve the constitution.