End of Mubarak era as protests topple president

Anti-government protesters carry a placard and celebrate in Tahrir square in Cairo today. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

CAIRO,  (Reuters) – Hosni Mubarak stepped down as  Egypt’s president today, handing over to the army and ending  three decades of autocratic rule, bowing to escalating pressure  from the military and protesters demanding that he go.
Vice President Omar Suleiman said a military council would  run the affairs of the Arab world’s most populous nation. A free  and fair presidential election has been promised for September.

Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak

A speaker made the announcement in Cairo’s Tahrir Square  where hundreds of thousands broke down in tears, celebrated and  hugged each other chanting: “The people have brought down the  regime.” Others shouted: “Allahu Akbar (God is great).
The 82-year-old Mubarak’s downfall after 18 days of  unprecedented mass protests was a momentous victory for people  power and was sure to rock autocrats throughout the Arab world  and beyond.
Egypt’s powerful military gave guarantees earlier today  that promised democratic reforms would be carried out but angry  protesters intensified an uprising against Mubarak, marching on  the presidential palace and the state television tower.
It was an effort by the army to defuse the revolt but, in  disregarding protesters’ key demand for Mubarak’s ouster now, it  failed to calm the turmoil that has disrupted the economy and  rattled the entire Middle East.
The military’s intervention was not enough.
The tumult over Mubarak’s refusal to resign had tested the  loyalties of the armed forces, which had to choose whether to  protect their supreme commander or ditch him.

The crowd cheers at Cairo's Tahrir Square following Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak's resignation, today. REUTERS/Reuters TV
The crowd cheers at Cairo's Tahrir Square following Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak's resignation, today. REUTERS/Reuters TV

The sharpening confrontation had raised fear of uncontrolled  violence n the most populous Arab nation, a key U.S. ally in an  oil-rich region where the chance of chaos spreading to other  long stable but repressive states troubles the West.
Washington has called for a prompt democratic transition to  restore stability in Egypt, a rare Arab state no longer hostile  to Israel, guardian of the Suez Canal linking Europe and Asia  and a major force against militant Islam in the region.
The army statement noted that Mubarak had handed powers to  govern the country of 80 million people to his deputy the  previous day — perhaps signalling that this should satisfy  demonstrators, reformists and opposition figures.

Opposition protesters celebrate Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak's resignation, from their stronghold of Tahrir Square in Cairo today. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
Opposition protesters celebrate Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak's resignation, from their stronghold of Tahrir Square in Cairo today. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

“This is not our demand,” one protester said, after relaying  the contents of the army statement to the crowd in Cairo’s  central Tahrir Square. “We have one demand, that Mubarak step  down.” He has said he will stay until September elections.
The Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist opposition group, urged  protesters to keep up mass nationwide street protests,  describing Mubarak’s concessions as a trick to stay in power.
REFORMS TOO LITTLE TOO LATE
Hundreds of thousands of protesters rallied across Egypt,  including in the industrial city of Suez, earlier the scene of  some of the fiercest violence in the crisis, and the second city  of Alexandria, as well as in Tanta and other Nile Delta centres.

Anti-government protesters celebrate inside Tahrir Square after the announcement of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation in Cairo today.  REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Anti-government protesters celebrate inside Tahrir Square after the announcement of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation in Cairo today. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

The army also said it “confirms the lifting of the state of  emergency as soon as the current circumstances end”, a pledge  that would remove a law imposed after Mubarak became president  following Anwar Sadat’s assassination in 1981 and that  protesters say has long been used to stifle dissent.
It further promised to guarantee free and fair elections and  other concessions made by Mubarak to protesters that would have  been unthinkable before Jan. 25, when the revolt began.
But none of this was enough for many hundreds of thousands  of mistrustful protesters who rallied in cities across the Arab  world’s most populous and influential country on Friday, fed up  with high unemployment, a corrupt elite and police repression.
Since the fall of Tunisia’s long-time leader Zine al-Abidine  Ben Ali, which triggered protests around the region, Egyptians  have been demonstrating in huge numbers against rising prices,  poverty, unemployment and their authoritarian regime.

EMERGENCY LAWS

Anti-government protesters celebrate inside Tahrir Square after the announcement of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation in Cairo today.  REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Anti-government protesters celebrate inside Tahrir Square after the announcement of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation in Cairo today. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

World powers had increasingly pressured Mubarak to organise  an orderly transition of power since the protests erupted on  Jan. 28 setting off an earthquake that has shaken Egypt sending  shock waves around the Middle East.
Mubarak, 82, was thrust into office when Islamists gunned  down his predecessor Anwar Sadat at a military parade in 1981.
The burly former air force commander has proved a far more  durable leader than anyone imagined at the time, governing under  emergency laws protesters say were used to crush dissent.
The president has long promoted peace abroad and more  recently backed economic reforms at home led by his cabinet  under Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif. But he always kept a tight lid  on political opposition.

Mubarak resisted any significant political change even under  pressure from the United States, which has poured billions of  dollars of military and other aid into Egypt since it became the  first Arab state to make peace with Israel, signing a treaty in  1979.

US President Barack Obama’s statement

U.S. President Barack Obama  made the following statement today after the decision of  Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down. Here is a text  of Obama’s remarks:
“Good afternoon, everybody. There are very few moments in  our lives where we have the privilege to witness history taking  place. This is one of those moments. This is one of those  times. The people of Egypt have spoken, their voices have been  heard, and Egypt will never be the same.
“By stepping down, President Mubarak responded to the  Egyptian people’s hunger for change. But this is not the end of  Egypt’s transition. It’s a beginning. I’m sure there will be  difficult days ahead, and many questions remain unanswered.  But I am confident that the people of Egypt can find the  answers, and do so peacefully, constructively, and in the  spirit of unity that has defined these last few weeks. For  Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than genuine  democracy will carry the day.

Thousands of Egyptian anti-government protesters celebrate inside Tahrir Square after the announcement of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation in Cairo today. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Thousands of Egyptian anti-government protesters celebrate inside Tahrir Square after the announcement of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation in Cairo today. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

“The military has served patriotically and responsibly as a  caretaker to the state, and will now have to ensure a  transition that is credible in the eyes of the Egyptian people.  That means protecting the rights of Egypt’s citizens, lifting  the emergency law, revising the constitution and other laws to  make this change irreversible, and laying out a clear path to  elections that are fair and free. Above all, this transition  must bring all of Egypt’s voices to the table. For the spirit  of peaceful protest and perseverance that the Egyptian people  have shown can serve as a powerful wind at the back of this  change.
“The United States will continue to be a friend and partner  to Egypt. We stand ready to provide whatever assistance is  necessary — and asked for — to pursue a credible transition  to a democracy. I’m also confident that the same ingenuity and  entrepreneurial spirit that the young people of Egypt have  shown in recent days can be harnessed to create new opportunity  — jobs and businesses that allow the extraordinary potential  of this generation to take flight. And I know that a democratic  Egypt can advance its role of responsible leadership not only  in the region but around the world.
“Egypt has played a pivotal role in human history for over  6,000 years. But over the last few weeks, the wheel of history  turned at a blinding pace as the Egyptian people demanded their  universal rights.
“We saw mothers and fathers carrying their children on  their shoulders to show them what true freedom might look like.
“We saw a young Egyptian say, “For the first time in my  life, I really count. My voice is heard. Even though I’m only  one person, this is the way real democracy works.”
“We saw protesters chant “Selmiyya, selmiyya” — “We are  peaceful” — again and again.
“We saw a military that would not fire bullets at the  people they were sworn to protect.

Anti-government protesters carry a placard and celebrate in Tahrir square in Cairo today.  REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis
Anti-government protesters carry a placard and celebrate in Tahrir square in Cairo today. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

“And we saw doctors and nurses rushing into the streets to  care for those who were wounded, volunteers checking protesters  to ensure that they were unarmed.
“We saw people of faith praying together and chanting,  ‘Muslims, Christians, We are one.’ And though we know that the  strains between faiths still divide too many in this world and  no single event will close that chasm immediately, these scenes  remind us that we need not be defined by our differences. We  can be defined by the common humanity that we share.
“And above all, we saw a new generation emerge — a  generation that uses their own creativity and talent and  technology to call for a government that represented their  hopes and not their fears; a government that is responsive to  their boundless aspirations. One Egyptian put it simply: Most  people have discovered in the last few days — that they are  worth something, and this cannot be taken away from them  anymore, ever.
“This is the power of human dignity, and it can never be  denied. Egyptians have inspired us, and they’ve done so by  putting the lie to the idea that justice is best gained through  violence. For in Egypt, it was the moral force of nonviolence  — not terrorism, not mindless killing — but nonviolence,  moral force that bent the arc of history toward justice once  more.
“And while the sights and sounds that we heard were  entirely Egyptian, we can’t help but hear the echoes of history  — echoes from Germans tearing down a wall, Indonesian students  taking to the streets, Gandhi leading his people down the path  of justice.

Anti-government protesters celebrate on top of a tank inside Tahrir Square after the announcement of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation in Cairo today.  REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Anti-government protesters celebrate on top of a tank inside Tahrir Square after the announcement of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation in Cairo today. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

“As Martin Luther King said in celebrating the birth of a  new nation in Ghana while trying to perfect his own, “There is  something in the soul that cries out for freedom.” Those were  the cries that came from Tahrir Square, and the entire world  has taken note.
“Today belongs to the people of Egypt, and the American  people are moved by these scenes in Cairo and across Egypt  because of who we are as a people and the kind of world that we  want our children to grow up in.
“The word Tahrir means liberation. It is a word that speaks  to that something in our souls that cries out for freedom.  And  forevermore it will remind us of the Egyptian people — of what  they did, of the things that they stood for, and how they  changed their country, and in doing so changed the world.
Thank you.

Swiss freeze possible Mubarak assets

ZURICH, – Switzerland has frozen assets  that may belong to Hosni Mubarak.

“I can confirm that Switzerland has frozen possible assets  of the former Egyptian president with immediate effect,”  spokesman Lars Knuchel said soon after Mubarak bowed to 18 days  of mass protests. “As a result of this measure any assets are  frozen for three years.”

He did not say how much money was involved or where it was.

Assets belonging to Mubarak’s associates would also be  targeted so as to limit the chance of state funds being  plundered, the ministry said. Mubarak and his associates would  be prevented from selling or otherwise disposing of property,  notably real estate.

In recent years, Switzerland has worked hard to improve its  image as a haven for ill-gotten assets.

It has also frozen assets belonging to Tunisia’s former  president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, ousted by popular protests  last month, and Ivory Coast’s Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused to  step down after an election which the outside world says he  lost.

Reaction to fall of Mubarak around the world

* EUROPEAN UNION
— “The EU respects President Mubarak’s decision today. By  standing down, he has listened to the voices of the Egyptian  people and has opened the way to faster and deeper reforms,” EU  Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton said.
“It is important now that the dialogue is accelerated  leading to a broad-based government which will respect the  aspirations of, and deliver stability for, the Egyptian people.”
“The future of Egypt rightly remains in the hands of the  Egyptian people. The EU stands ready to help in any way it can.”

* ISRAEL
— “It’s too early to foresee how (the resignation) will  affect things,” a senior Israeli official said. “We hope that  the change to democracy in Egypt will happen without violence  and that the peace accord will remain.”

Opposition protesters celebrate Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak's resignation, from their stronghold of Tahrir Square in Cairo February 11, 2011.  REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
Opposition protesters celebrate Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak's resignation, from their stronghold of Tahrir Square in Cairo February 11, 2011. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

* GAZA
— “The resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is  the beginning of the victory of the Egyptian revolution,” said  Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.
“Such a victory was the result of the sacrifices and the  steadfastness of the Egyptian people,” he said.
“We call upon the new Egyptian leadership to take an  immediate decision to lift the blockade of Gaza and open Rafah  (border) crossing permanently to allow people’s free movement  and in order for the reconstruction process of Gaza to begin,”  Abu Zuhri said.

* GERMANY
— “Today is a day of great joy,” German Chancellor Angela  Merkel told a news conference. “We are all witness to an  historic change. I share the joy of the people of Egypt, with  the millions of people on the streets of Egypt.”
* ARAB LEAGUE
— “I look forward to the future to build a national  consensus in the coming period. There is a big chance now and a  window has opened after this white revolution and after the  president’s concession,” the Egyptian secretary-general of the  Arab League, Amr Moussa, Al Arabiya television.
Asked if he was interested in being president, he said:  “This is not the time to talk about that … As an Egyptian  citizen, I am proud to serve my country with all the others at  this stage, to build a consensus of opinion.”

* QATAR
— “This is a positive, important step towards the Egyptian  people’s aspirations of achieving democracy and reform and a  life of dignity,” said a statement from the Emir’s royal council  said.