Protesters dig in to keep pressure on Egypt army

Kamal Ganzouri

CAIRO, (Reuters) – Protesters demanding an end  to army rule in Egypt sought last night to build on momentum  from a mass protest, bedding down in Cairo’s Tahrir Square for a  ninth day just two days before the first free parliamentary  polls in living memory.

Thousands stayed in the square late into the night yesterday, aiming to keep up pressure on the Supreme Council of the  Armed Forces to further speed up a transition to democracy which  they believe requires the generals to leave power now.

The political turmoil and violence – 41 people were killed  this week – are compounding the economic woes of a country where  livelihoods have been battered by a year of turmoil that started  with the toppling of Hosni Mubarak in February by mass protests.

The generals have shown no sign of giving way to the demande  to quit now. Instead, they have responded by promising that a  new president would be elected by mid-2012, sooner than  previously announced, and appointing a new prime minister to  head a “national salvation government”.

Kamal Ganzouri, the new prime minister, held the same post  under Mubarak. Speaking to the media on Friday, he described his  task as thankless and “extremely difficult” and listed his  priorities as securing the streets and reviving the economy.  Egypt’s pound has weakened to its lowest level in seven years.

The Tahrir protesters have dismissed Ganzouri, 78, as yet  another face from the past whose appointment reflects the  generals’ resistance to change.

“Why are they picking Ganzouri now? This shows that the army  is unwilling to let go of any power by recycling a former ally.  This government won’t have any powers, why else pick someone  that is loyal to them,” said protester Mohamed El Meligy, 20.

Divide
Tahrir Square and the surrounding streets were relatively  calm on Friday after the deployment of extra security forces in  areas where youths had clashed with police earlier this week.

The violence had fuelled public anger at the military  council and drawn more protesters to Tahrir Square.

If maintained, the calm will deflate the arguments of those  who argue that the first phase of the three-stage parliamentary  vote should be postponed because of this week’s turmoil.

In a further boost to the military council, several thousand  protesters demonstrated in support of the generals’ role in  another Cairo square on Friday — a further echo from the last  days of Mubarak’s rule when loyalists took to the streets.

Though smaller than the “Last Chance Friday” protest in  Tahrir Square, the demonstration highlighted the division  between revolutionary youths wanting to overhaul the whole  system and more cautious Egyptians keen to restore normality.

The appointment of Ganzouri, who was prime minister from  1996 to 1999, has also drawn attention to the division.

Kamal Ganzouri

“I favour him. He is a very good man, he did a lot of good  things. If he had continued in his role (in 1999) the situation  would have stayed much better,” said restaurant worker Osama  Amara, 22.

The military council announced yesterday that each round of  voting would be held over two days instead of one to give  everyone the chance to cast their vote.

In Tahrir, where the main political groups such as the  Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party have avoided  demonstrating this week, some protesters said the vote should  still be delayed.

The Brotherhood, Egypt’s best organised political force,  wants the election to go ahead as scheduled.

“Believe me, I don’t know who I am going to vote for,” said  Hoda Ragab, a 55-year-old woman at Friday’s protest in Tahrir.

“In all sincerity, it’s because I don’t have any programme  for any party in these conditions. It would be better for the  elections to be delayed a week or two, so we can get over these  problems,” she said.