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Egyptians hopeful despite uncertainty
TRANSITION:Democracy activists issued communiques listing
their demands, including an end to emergency and military courts and elections
within nine months
AFP and Reuters, CAIRO
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An Egyptian anti-government protester
celebrates in Cairo¡¦s Tahrir square yesterday , a day after President Hosni
Mubarak¡¦s ouster.
Photo: AFP
Egyptians yesterday celebrated their first day of victory after an uprising
drove Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak from power, expressing hope that their
new military rulers would chart a path to democracy.
The streets and squares of downtown Cairo were in the hands of the mostly young
demonstrators whose determined 18-day revolt overturned 30 years of autocratic
rule and triggered an outpouring of national solidarity.
However, political power now rests with the military commanders, who stepped
into the vacuum left by Mubarak¡¦s departure, and many people were anxiously
waiting to see whether they will make good on their promise to respect the
popular will.
Pro-democracy activists in Tahrir Square yesterday vowed to stay there until the
Higher Military Council now running the country accepts their agenda for reform.
In two communiques issued overnight, a core group of protest organizers demanded
the lifting of a state of emergency used by Mubarak to crush dissent and
opposition.
¡§People¡¦s Communique No. 1¡¨ demands the dissolution of the Cabinet Mubarak
appointed on Jan. 29 and the suspension of the parliament elected in a rigged
poll late last year.
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An army officer writes a phrase supporting the
change in Egypt on a man¡¦s shirt at Tahrir square in Cairo, Egypt, yesterday.
Photo: Reuters
The reformists want a transitional five-member presidential
council made up of four civilians and one military person.
The communique calls for the formation of a transitional government to prepare
for an election to take place within nine months and of a body to draft a new
democratic constitution.
It demands freedom for the media and syndicates, which represent groups such as
lawyers, doctors and engineers, and for the formation of political parties.
Military and emergency courts must be scrapped, the communique says.
Meanwhile, many of the protesters who had occupied the city¡¦s central plaza
since Jan. 28 launched a massive cleanup effort with hundreds of volunteers.
¡§It¡¦s party time! We are born again,¡¨ declared 40-year-old agricultural engineer
Osama Saadallah. ¡§We were behind other countries, now we are worth something in
the eyes of others, of the Arab world.¡¨
Many chose to celebrate the first day of a new era for their country by clearing
the detritus of Friday night¡¦s mega-party in Tahrir, taking pride in showing the
civic spirit in their nation reborn.
In a sign that normal life was returning, state TV announced that a curfew in
effect since Jan. 28 would be shortened by four hours.
However, some insecurity lingered, as 600 prisoners escaped from a Cairo jail
after riots broke out and gunmen fired at guards from outside the facility,
according to security officials.
The Cairo media, including state-run titles that had initially dismissed the
uprising or charged it was being fomented by foreigners, hailed the ¡§revolution
of the youth.¡¨
In the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya hundreds of members of the widely hated
police force marched in solidarity with the uprising, claiming they had been
ordered against their will to shoot at protesters.
However, if Egypt¡¦s revolution is to serve as an example to the region, as
Tunisia¡¦s revolt inspired Egypt, much will depend on the stance of the junta now
in control of the Arab world¡¦s most populous nation.
Headed by a longtime Mubarak loyalist, 75-year-old Field Marshal Mohammed
Hussein Tantawi, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces was expected to make a
statement about its plans to form a transitional government.
So far, it has given little clue as to the direction it will take. In its third
statement since announcing that it was taking charge, it said simply that it
would respect the mood of the newly energized street.
The council ¡§will issue further statements that will announce forthcoming steps,
measures and arrangements, and it affirms at the same time that it is not a
replacement for the legitimacy that is acceptable to the people.¡¨
If the generals go back on their word, the demonstrations could start again.
¡§We¡¦re waiting for a new statement from the army,¡¨ said Mohammed Rida, a
26-year-old activist. ¡§We don¡¦t want to be ruled by the military. We want a
coalition government with experienced figures.¡¨
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