Truce in Egypt as poll set to proceed
Source: Agencies |
November 25, 2011, Friday
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EGYPTIAN riot police and protesters observed a truce yesterday after violence that has left 39 people dead in five days and the army said parliamentary elections would start on time next week.
Demonstrations by thousands of Egyptians furious at the slow transfer of power by military leadership to civilian rule have led to violent clashes with police, in scenes similar to the popular uprising that toppled leader Hosni Mubarak in February.
Protesters have vowed not to leave Cairo's central Tahrir Square, which once again has become the cradle of public protest, until army rule ends.
The demonstrations appear to have polarized Egyptians, many of whom worry that unrest will prolong economic stagnation.
In new blows to confidence, the Egyptian pound weakened to more than 6 to the US dollar for the first time since January 2005, and Standard & Poor's lowered its rating on Egypt.
The agency cut Egypt's long-term, foreign- and local-currency sovereign credit ratings to B+ from BB-.
Egypt's ruling army council said it was doing all it could to prevent more violence. In a statement, it apologized, offered condolences and compensation to families of the dead, and promised a swift investigation into who was behind the unrest.
A ruling council member, General Mamdouh Shaheen, said the parliamentary vote, the first stage of which is due to begin on Monday, would go ahead. "We will not delay elections. This is the final word," he said.
Another council member, Major-General Mokhtar al-Mullah, took a swipe at the demonstrators. "If we look at those in Tahrir, they do not represent the Egyptian people, but we must respect their opinion," he said.
Mullah said the army hoped to form a new government before Monday to replace Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's cabinet, which resigned during this week's violence without giving a reason.
Demonstrators in Tahrir said the truce had taken hold from midnight. Cranes hauled concrete barriers, later reinforced with barbed wire, across streets leading to the nearby Interior Ministry.
"Since about midnight there have been no more clashes. We are standing here to ensure no one goes inside the cordon," said Mohamed Mustafa, 50, among a group barring a street nearby.
At the other end of the street, two army personnel carriers blocked the route.
The protests pose the gravest challenge to Egypt's army rulers since they took over from Mubarak after an 18-day uprising.
The United States and European nations have urged Egypt to proceed with what has been billed as its first free vote in decades.
Demonstrations by thousands of Egyptians furious at the slow transfer of power by military leadership to civilian rule have led to violent clashes with police, in scenes similar to the popular uprising that toppled leader Hosni Mubarak in February.
Protesters have vowed not to leave Cairo's central Tahrir Square, which once again has become the cradle of public protest, until army rule ends.
The demonstrations appear to have polarized Egyptians, many of whom worry that unrest will prolong economic stagnation.
In new blows to confidence, the Egyptian pound weakened to more than 6 to the US dollar for the first time since January 2005, and Standard & Poor's lowered its rating on Egypt.
The agency cut Egypt's long-term, foreign- and local-currency sovereign credit ratings to B+ from BB-.
Egypt's ruling army council said it was doing all it could to prevent more violence. In a statement, it apologized, offered condolences and compensation to families of the dead, and promised a swift investigation into who was behind the unrest.
A ruling council member, General Mamdouh Shaheen, said the parliamentary vote, the first stage of which is due to begin on Monday, would go ahead. "We will not delay elections. This is the final word," he said.
Another council member, Major-General Mokhtar al-Mullah, took a swipe at the demonstrators. "If we look at those in Tahrir, they do not represent the Egyptian people, but we must respect their opinion," he said.
Mullah said the army hoped to form a new government before Monday to replace Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's cabinet, which resigned during this week's violence without giving a reason.
Demonstrators in Tahrir said the truce had taken hold from midnight. Cranes hauled concrete barriers, later reinforced with barbed wire, across streets leading to the nearby Interior Ministry.
"Since about midnight there have been no more clashes. We are standing here to ensure no one goes inside the cordon," said Mohamed Mustafa, 50, among a group barring a street nearby.
At the other end of the street, two army personnel carriers blocked the route.
The protests pose the gravest challenge to Egypt's army rulers since they took over from Mubarak after an 18-day uprising.
The United States and European nations have urged Egypt to proceed with what has been billed as its first free vote in decades.
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