Tens of thousands protest military’s rule in Egypt

Tens of thousands protest military’s rule in Egypt
Aya Batrawy – Agence France Presse – 20 April, 2012

CAIRO: Tens of thousands of protesters packed Cairo’s downtown Tahrir Square on Friday in the biggest demonstration in months against the ruling military, aimed at stepping up pressure on the generals to hand over power to civilians and bar ex-regime members from running in upcoming presidential elections.

Both Islamists and liberals turned out in force for the protest, to show the widespread anger at the military over the country’s political chaos ahead of the first presidential elections since the fall of Hosni Mubarak more than a year ago. The confusion has raised suspicions the generals ruling since Mubarak’s ouster are manipulating the process to preserve their power, ensure the victory of a pro-military candidate and prevent reform.

“Down with military rule,” protesters in Tahrir chanted, and banners draped around the sprawling plaza denounced candidates seen as “feloul,” or “remnants” from Mubarak’s regime.

But the crowds in Tahrir were divided between rival groups with differing complaints and goals. As a result, the participants failed to reach a unified list of demands.

Liberals and youth groups called for all factions to agree on an anti-military “revolution” candidate in the presidential vote, but the powerful Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists – who have their own ambitions in the race – refused to sign on.

The Brotherhood, Egypt’s strongest political movement, has been frustrated that the military has prevented their domination of parliament from translating into real political power. The group was angered when the military-appointed election commission over the past week disqualified its initial candidate for president, along with nine other hopefuls.

In response, the Brotherhood is calling for a “second revolution.”

Liberals and the youth groups who led the revolt against Mubarak, however, are skeptical, accusing the Brotherhood of abandoning the revolution the past year to pursue their own quest to rule. The Brotherhood largely stayed out of anti-military protests since Mubarak’s fall and accepted the generals’ running of the transition, betting that the process would pave their way to political power.

Many in the secular camp demand the Brotherhood “apologize” for its actions the past year and show it is not intent on monopolizing power.

Khaled al-Balshi, editor of the leftist Al-Badeel news site, said he feared that Islamists are once again using the protests as a card to pressure the military council and would go back to striking deals with it again later.

“I am afraid that right now there is something being cooked,” he told Al-Jazeera television.

Another major force in the square were the ultraconservative Salafis, an Islamic movement that is more hard-line than the Brotherhood. Many of them are furious over the disqualification of their favored presidential candidate, Hazem Abu Ismail, who was barred from the race because his mother held American citizenship. Election rules bar a candidate’s close family from having foreign citizenship. Many of his supporters accuse the military and election of commission of forging documents to force out the popular Abu Ismail.
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