Anger grows as Hosni Mubarak-era PM gets his job back

EGYPT’S military rulers picked a prime minister from Hosni Mubarak’s era to head the next government yesterday as tens of thousands of protesters gathered to call for an immediate handover of power.

More than 100,000 people packed into Cairo’s Tahrir Square for their biggest demonstration since the current showdown began. They quickly rejected the announcement that Kamal el-Ganzouri, who served as prime minister between 1996 and 1999, had been given the role again.

The demonstrators’ demands were given a boost when the Obama administration called on the country’s military to give power to a civilian government immediately.

The White House said: “The United States strongly believes that the new Egyptian government must be empowered with real authority immediately. We believe that Egypt’s transition to democracy must continue, with elections proceeding expeditiously, and all necessary measures taken to ensure security and prevent intimidation.

“Most importantly, we believe that the full transfer of power to a civilian government must take place in a just and inclusive manner that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people, as soon as possible”.

Tensions have risen ahead of parliamentary elections set to begin on Monday. The election is to be staggered over multiple stages that end in March, and the military said yesterday it would extend the voting period to two days for each round in an apparent effort to boost turnout due to the current unrest. The first stage covers nine provinces that include Cairo and the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria.

In a televised statement, Mr El-Ganzouri, 78, said the military had given him greater powers than his predecessor and he wouldn’t have accepted the job if he believed military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi had any intention of staying in power.

“The powers given to me exceed any similar mandates,” he said. “I will take full authority so I’m able to serve my country.”

It was the latest in a series of efforts by the military to appease protesters without meeting their main demand of stepping down immediately.

The generals apologised on Thursday for the killing of nearly 40 protesters in five days of deadly clashes, mostly centered on side streets near the square.

This was the longest spate of uninterrupted violence since the 18-day uprising that toppled Mubarak. The streets were relatively calm yesterday as a truce negotiated in Cairo continued to hold.

But the choice of Mr El-Ganzouri only deepened the anger of the protesters, already seething over the military’s perceived reluctance to dismantle the legacy of Mubarak’s 29-year rule.

“Not only was he prime minister under Mubarak, but also part of the old regime for a total of 18 years,” said protester Mohammed el-Fayoumi, 29. “Why did we have a revolution then?”

Mr El-Ganzouri replaces Essam Sharaf, who resigned this week after nearly nine months in office amid deadly clashes between police and protesters calling for the military to immediately step down. Mr Sharaf was criticised for being weak and beholden to the generals.

“El-Ganzouri is a new Sharaf. He’s old regime,” said Nayer Mustafa, 62. “The revolution was hijacked once. We won’t let it happen again.”

Yesterday’s protest in Tahrir Square was dubbed by organisers “The Last Chance Million-Man Protest”. Swelling crowds chanted, “leave, leave” and “the people want to bring down the field marshal”, in reference to Mr Tantawi, who took over the reins of power from Mubarak.

Pro-reform leader and Nobel peace laureate Mohamed El- Baradei was mobbed by hundreds of supporters as he arrived in the square and took part in Friday prayers, leaving shortly afterward.

“He is here to support the revolutionaries,” said protester Ahmed Awad, 35. “He came to see for himself the tragedy caused by the military.”

The demonstrators have vowed not to leave the sprawling plaza until the generals step down in favour of a civilian presidential council. About 5,000 supporters of the military staged their own demonstration several miles away in the district of Abbassiyah, not far from the defence ministry.

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters also took to the streets in other cities, including at least 10,000 in Alexandria and smaller crowds in Luxor and Assiut in southern Egypt.