CAIRO: Political powers have continued to call for a national salvation government as the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) met with presidential hopefuls, while youth coalitions continued their demonstrations in front of the Cabinet building.
“The way SCAF is operating is proof that it is Mubarak’s regime in disguise,” said Engy Hamdy, spokesperson of the April 6 Youth Movement.
“They continue to ignore the demands of the people and go ahead with their own plans,” she added, pointing out that they are continuing the demonstration near Cabinet, along with the Revolution Youth Coalition and the We are All Khaled Said group.
Tantawi held a meeting with presidential hopefuls Sunday, however popular candidates Mohamed ElBaradei, Abdel Moniem Aboul Fotouh and Hamdeen Sabahy refused to attend.
Tantawi had held separate talks on Saturday with ElBaradei, and ex-Arab League chief Amr Moussa, state media reported, as protesters demanding the end of military rule remained camped out in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
Later on Saturday ElBaradei offered to lead a government of national salvation, raising the pressure on Egypt’s ruling generals amid protests demanding an immediate end to army rule.
Meanwhile, the Revolution Continues Coalition, the Egyptian Bloc Coalition, Justice Party and the Delegation of the Popular Diplomacy have released a joint statement on the current events.
Their key demands from SCAF included the formation of a national salvation government which satisfies revolutionary forces around the country and which is given full powers and whose priorities are security, the economy and the elections. Their second demand is postponing the elections for two weeks.
On Friday, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi appointed Kamal El-Ganzoury as the new interim prime minister amid heavy criticism triggering the Cabinet sit-in aimed at preventing him from entering the building.
Numerous leaks on the composition of the new cabinet, which El-Ganzoury said will not be formed before elections kick-off Monday, have started circulating. These include editor-in-chief of Al-Masry Al-Youm Magdy El Gallad, and Al-Fagr tabloid editor Adel Hammouda for the role of Information Minister.
However, in a phone call to a primetime talk show on Saturday, El-Ganzoury denied these rumors. He also said that seven of the current interim ministers “deserve to stay”.
Political groups refused to comment on the leaked candidates of the El-Ganzoury’s cabinet, refusing to give it legitimacy.
“We are against El-Ganzoury to begin with so we are not commenting on his candidates,” said Hamdy, adding, “we will not allow this system to continue.”
