Protesters in Tahrir Square are not ready to leave despite Egypt’s military suspending the constitution and dissolving the parliament of the Mubarak regime. Amongst their demands is the end of all ’emergency laws’.
Ahmed Shafiq, speaking after his first cabinet meeting since Mubarak left on Friday, said Egypt’s caretaker government will remain for the country’s transition towards democracy.
He said that security would remain a priority and pledged to fight corruption and restore peace in the country, following 18 days of pro-democracy protests.
“The first priority for this government is to restore security and to facilitate daily life for its citizens,” he said. “I guarantee that this [cabinet] will return rights to the people and fight corruption.”
Military in charge
Al Jazeera’s James Bays, reporting from Cairo, said the two announcements do not indicate that the prime minister and military council are talking against each other.
But it is “quite clear that the power now rests entirely” with the military council, he said.
“They’ve taken on the role of the presidency and the prime minister and the other ministers carry out their orders.
“The key point is the military is saying they are only in power for a temporary basis, for six months or they’ll go earlier if elections are called before six months.
But our correspondent noted that “one thing that wasn’t in that communique that protesters have asked for, was the repeal of emergency laws”.
Protest organisers had called for both the dissolution of parliament and the lifting of a 30-year-old state of emergency.
Some protesters have vowed to remain in Cairo’s Tahrir Square – the epicentre of the uprising – until all of their demands are met
Now the police who for decades are believed to have tortured and extorted from the people and are responsible for hundreds of deaths trying to crush the revolt are attempting to claim solidarity with the people. The Egyptian people are not listening.
