CAIRO: While hundreds gathered in Tahrir Square on Friday urging the ruling military council to swiftly hand over power to a civilian rule, political parties were poorly represented.
Protesters could not agree on one name for Friday’s protest, with some dubbing it “Back to Your Barracks,” “Reclaiming the Revolution” or “We Will Continue our Path.”
Demonstrators chanted: “The people want to topple the Field Marshal” and “Down with military rule.” Most were not affiliated to any party, coalition or group.
Several stages were set up at the center of the square, however two attracted the most attention; the first set up by several groups comprising the Independent Revolutionaries Union, the Square’s Voice movement, the National Center for Popular Committees and the Independent Front for Peaceful Change while the second belonged to supporters of presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abou Ismail.
Mohamed Dessouky, general coordinator of the National Center for Popular Committees, a movement engineered to protect public facilities, said he is protesting against the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ recent agreement with the main political parties as well as the continued military trials of civilians and the extension of the emergency law.
“The revolution is not over yet and will not be for the next five to 10 years,” said Sayed Salem, spokesperson for the center. “My first and only demand is for SCAF to hand over power to a civilian rule under a predetermined schedule,” Salem told Daily News Egypt.
“Once this demand is fulfilled we can call for other demands; but the diversity and large number of demands made protesters lose credibility in front of the SCAF,” he added.
“The recent agreement between SCAF and the political parties allows the military rule to continue for three more years while we want a sooner handover so an accurate and precise schedule must be set forth,” Essam Shaaban, spokesperson for the Egyptian Communist Party, told DNE.
A large banner was hung over the stage affiliated to Abou Ismail’s supporters listing their demands and suggesting a schedule for handing over power. These demands included an end to the military trials of civilians and the cancellation of the emergency law as well as supra-constitutional principles.
“The SCAF’s role should be limited to being an interim ruler managing the country for a transitional period only; however, it has been taking decisions and issuing laws implying its stay in power for a longer period. Laying down a definitive schedule for the handover is mandatory,” Waleed Haggag, one of Abou Ismail’s supporters, explained.
Haggag expects no significant response from the army’s side towards this Friday but sees it as a means for protesters to express their opinion and dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs.
Abou Ismail’s supporters said they were not present at the square as part of the campaign and that their demands do not represent those of the campaign.
Traffic was flowing intermittently through the square, however, Qasr Al-Aini street was blocked throughout most of the day.
Hundreds protested in Tahrir Square after Friday prayer, demanding a faster transition to civilian rule. (Daily News Egypt Photo / Hassan Ibrahim)
