Mubarak clings to power as protester unrest remains

HOSNI Mubarak, struggling to cling on as Egypt’s president in the face of unprecedented protests over poverty, corruption and oppression, said last night he would transfer powers to his vice president.

In an address that failed to meet demands by protesters for him to step down immediately, Mubarak, 82, appeared to step aside by indicating he would hand over the reins of power to his deputy, Omar Suleiman, a former intelligence chief trusted by Washington.

Protesters in Tahrir Square waved their shoes in dismay at the speech, shouting: “Down, Down, Hosni Mubarak,” enraged by the fact that the president had not stepped down.

Mubarak repeated that he would not stand for the presidency in a September poll and said talks with the opposition, which would have been unthinkable before January 25 when protests began, had led to preliminary consensus to resolve the crisis.

Egypt was heading to a peaceful transfer of power, said the president, stating that he believed in the honesty of the protesters’ demands and intentions but underlining his rejection of foreign powers dictating events in his country.

Mubarak said he felt the pain of those who lost family in the protests and that he was responding to the nation’s demands with commitment and said those who had died, put at 300 by the UN, had not died in vain.

Earlier in the day, the military high command took control of the nation in what some called a military coup after two weeks of unprecedented protests.

His failure to quit could provoke a powerful reaction from the street where the core of protesters want his immediate resignation and reject any political manoeuvring that allows him to stay on in some capacity, perhaps as a figurehead.

The armed forces, issuing what they labelled “Communique No 1”, announced they were moving to preserve the nation and the aspirations of the people. The Higher Army Council met to try to calm an earthquake of unrest which has shocked the Middle East.

News that Mubarak may hand over power, or be unseated provoked loud and emotional cheers in Cairo’s Tahrir Square earlier, the focal point for pro-democracy demonstrations. But some in the crowd were quick to protest they did not want military rule.

Ahead of the address, hundreds of thousands flocked to the square and surrounding streets with organisers saying this had been the biggest turn- out yet.

Major General Hassan Roweny had earlier in the day told tens of thousands of protesters in Tahrir, or Liberation, Square: “Everything you want will be realised.”

People chanted: “The people demand the fall of the regime. The regime has fallen.”

For many, a key question is whether Suleiman might take over effective control from Mubarak — who might stay on in a figurehead role — or whether serving officers in the armed forces would move in instead, possibly declaring martial law.

Suleiman, promoted to be Mubarak’s deputy less than two weeks ago, is not widely popular. But a key goal for many at the protests has been for changes to laws to ensure fair elections.

Protesters in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square, hoping he would announce his resignation outright, watched in stunned silence to his speech, slapping their hands to their foreheads in anger, some crying or waving their shoes in the air in a sign of contempt. After he finished, they resumed their chants of “Leave! Leave! Leave!”

“I have seen that it is required to delegate the powers and authorities of the president to the vice president as dictated in the constitution,” Mubarak said near the end of a 15-minute address on state TV.

The article is used to transfer powers if the president is “temporarily” unable to carry out his duties and does not mean his resignation.

Mubarak said: “Your demands are legitimate and just... There is no shame in hearing your voices and opinions, but I refuse any and all dictations from abroad,” he said. “I have announced my commitment to peacefully hand over power after upcoming elections... I will deliver Egypt and its people to safety.”

He said he had requested six constitutional amendments to answer protesters’ reform demands and that he would lift hated emergency laws — but with the caveat, when security permitted. The same pro- mise was made by his vice president earlier this week but was dismissed by protesters.

Waving shoes in the air in a dramatic Arab show of contempt, the crowds in central Cairo chanted: “Down, down Hosni Mubarak.”

Suleiman later appeared on state television to say there was a “road map” for transition and insisted he would oversee a “peaceful transition of power”.

He said he had requested constitutional amendments to loosen the now restrictive conditions on who can run for president, to restore judicial supervision of elections, and to impose term limits on the presidency.

He also annulled a constitutional article that gives the president the right to order a military trial for civilians accused of terrorism. He said that step would “clear the way” for eventually scrapping a hated emergency law that gives police virtually unlimited powers of arrest, but with a major caveat — “once security and stability are restored”.

After his speech last week, many Egyptians beyond the urban elites in the vanguard of recent protests had said they were satisfied by a promise of change in due course and were more interested now in ending economic disruption.

But the anger on the streets of Cairo and Alexandria, hours ahead of a planned “Day of Martyrs” protest today to commemorate those killed by security forces since January 25 appeared ominous in an environment where the army has been on the streets for two weeks and yesterday said it was in charge.

“He doesn’t seem to understand the magnitude of what is happening in Egypt. At this point I don’t think it will suffice,” said Alanoud al-Sharek at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “He has performed quite a sleight of hand. He has transferred authority to Omar Suleiman while somehow retaining his position as ruler.”

Mohamed El-Erian, co- chief investment officer at Pacific Investment Management, said: “Given the intense disappointment with the speech in Egypt, the country has entered this evening an ominous period of extreme tension and danger that can only be resolved by credible regime change that the majority of Egyptians can buy into.”

Meanwhile, Egypt’s foreign minister warned of a military coup if protesters continue mass demonstrations and don’t follow a government-run framework for enacting gradual reform.

The comments by foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit were the second veiled threat this week from the regime of a direct military takeover if protests persist. The comments suggest there could be a new confrontation as protests have gained new momentum, growing in size and branching out into labour unrest around the country

Speaking to the Arab news network Al-Arabiya, Aboul Gheit warns that if “adventurers” take over the process of reform the military “will be compelled to defend the constitution and national security... and we’ll find ourselves in a very grave situation”.