Power struggle in Egypt's capital
Source: Agencies |
November 23, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A SWELLING crowd of tens of thousands filled Cairo's Tahrir Square yesterday, answering the call for a million people to turn out and intensify pressure on Egypt's military leaders to hand over power to a civilian government.
Meanwhile, the ruling military council held crisis talks with political parties across the spectrum to try to defuse growing cries for a "second revolution."
Egyptian politicians said later the ruling military had moved up the date for transferring power to a civilian government to July 1, 2012.
Abu al-alla Madi and Mohammed Selim el-Awa, two politicians who attended a five-hour crisis meeting with the military rulers, said the council also accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's government and will form a "national salvation" cabinet to replace it.
However, the announcement was rejected by the protesters in Tahrir Square. "We are not leaving, he leaves," they chanted, referring to military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.
Previously, the military rulers had floated late next year or early 2013 as the timetable for transferring power.
Tantawi was expected to address the nation as protests in Cairo and other major cities carried on for a fourth day. Security forces stayed out of Tahrir itself to lower the temperature. But there were clashes on side streets leading to the square - the epicenter of the uprising that ousted longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak in February.
Parliamentary elections
The new wave of protests and violence around the country that began on Saturday has left at least 33 people dead and has thrown Egypt's politics into chaos less than a week before parliamentary elections were due to begin.
"If the elections don't happen, there could be a clash between the army and the people. That's what we're afraid of," said protester Mustafa Abdel-Hamid.
He said he wanted a clear timetable for the transfer of power.
"The army is making the same mistake as Mubarak. They hear the demands but respond when it's too late," said Abdel-Hamid, a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood who came to Tahrir even though his movement has not endorsed the protests over the past four days.
The Brotherhood and its Islamist allies are expected to dominate the next parliament, while the liberal groups behind the ousting of Mubarak appear poised to lag behind, lacking unity and a cohesive vision. The Brotherhood is staying out of the latest protests, arguing that it did not want the nation to be dragged into a "bloody confrontation." But secular activists say the Muslim fundamentalist group is more keen on grabbing power than ensuring the future of the nation.
In Tahrir, the atmosphere was reminiscent of the 18-day uprising that toppled Mubarak, with jubilation over the large turnout mixed with seething anger.
The crowds carried an open coffin with a body of a protester wrapped in white and held a funeral in the middle of the square.
A stuffed military uniform was hung from a light pole with a sign on its neck saying "Execute the field marshal," a reference to Tantawi.
The latest round of unrest began on Saturday when security forces evicted protesters who had camped out in Tahrir Square.
Meanwhile, the ruling military council held crisis talks with political parties across the spectrum to try to defuse growing cries for a "second revolution."
Egyptian politicians said later the ruling military had moved up the date for transferring power to a civilian government to July 1, 2012.
Abu al-alla Madi and Mohammed Selim el-Awa, two politicians who attended a five-hour crisis meeting with the military rulers, said the council also accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's government and will form a "national salvation" cabinet to replace it.
However, the announcement was rejected by the protesters in Tahrir Square. "We are not leaving, he leaves," they chanted, referring to military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.
Previously, the military rulers had floated late next year or early 2013 as the timetable for transferring power.
Tantawi was expected to address the nation as protests in Cairo and other major cities carried on for a fourth day. Security forces stayed out of Tahrir itself to lower the temperature. But there were clashes on side streets leading to the square - the epicenter of the uprising that ousted longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak in February.
Parliamentary elections
The new wave of protests and violence around the country that began on Saturday has left at least 33 people dead and has thrown Egypt's politics into chaos less than a week before parliamentary elections were due to begin.
"If the elections don't happen, there could be a clash between the army and the people. That's what we're afraid of," said protester Mustafa Abdel-Hamid.
He said he wanted a clear timetable for the transfer of power.
"The army is making the same mistake as Mubarak. They hear the demands but respond when it's too late," said Abdel-Hamid, a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood who came to Tahrir even though his movement has not endorsed the protests over the past four days.
The Brotherhood and its Islamist allies are expected to dominate the next parliament, while the liberal groups behind the ousting of Mubarak appear poised to lag behind, lacking unity and a cohesive vision. The Brotherhood is staying out of the latest protests, arguing that it did not want the nation to be dragged into a "bloody confrontation." But secular activists say the Muslim fundamentalist group is more keen on grabbing power than ensuring the future of the nation.
In Tahrir, the atmosphere was reminiscent of the 18-day uprising that toppled Mubarak, with jubilation over the large turnout mixed with seething anger.
The crowds carried an open coffin with a body of a protester wrapped in white and held a funeral in the middle of the square.
A stuffed military uniform was hung from a light pole with a sign on its neck saying "Execute the field marshal," a reference to Tantawi.
The latest round of unrest began on Saturday when security forces evicted protesters who had camped out in Tahrir Square.
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