Egypt

Not exactly deja vu all over again

Via Al Jezeera English, by Mark Levine

The military's continued violence against peaceful protesters has not stopped the Tahrir movement [GALLO/GETTY

As Egypt prepares for elections, Tahrir Square is a similacrum of its old self.

The world's largest experiment in the effects of long term exposure to toxic tear gas seems, for the moment, to be winding down, as Egyptians prepare to vote for the first post-Mubarak cabinet. The SCAF and its political allies and bedfellows clearly hope that, as the smoke clears, enough Egyptians outside of Tahrir and other centres of protest will ignore the often grotesque violence visited on pro-democracy protesters and vote in a government that will reinforce - or at least not challenge - the decades-old patrimonial system.

That is surely what is behind this cruel experiment, with the Brotherhood leadership deciding it's better to be an observer rather than a test subject.

But in the square, the effects of constant tear gas exposure on test subjects can now be documented, and while it's produced a lot of injuries, strange flus and sheer exhaustion, it has only hardened attitudes against the SCAF and increasingly towards any political group that is perceived as having sold out the protesters.

Voices stronger than batons and shocks

"They can break my bones, but they can't break my voice, and it's stronger now than before."

So exclaimed Mona Eltahawy, when I unexpectedly ran into her in the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel not far from Tahrir Square. The award-winning Egyptian-American journalist was seized, badly beaten and sexually assaulted by the military police just a few days ago.

The white casts on each arm acted like beacons, with a parade of well wishers - and even tourists - approaching to offer their support, and if they were friends, to sign her casts.

While talking to Mona, I scanned the room and saw Ramy Essam, the "singer of the revolution", whose song Irhal became a global anthem for the audacity of everyday citizens to demand change. Introducing the two of them, it was sadly emblematic of the state of Egypt fewer than 48 hours before an election that once inspired so much hope that the first thing they did was compare the marks of torture - electric shocks on his back, made in the Egyptian museum in March, with the bone-breaking batons on her arms only two days before.

But what was clear for both was that in suffering those beatings, and now inhaling the gas meant to extinguish the spirit of the revolution in time for the election, was that the violence was, in a very real way, cathartic.

Eltahawy couldn't help but agree with the many friends who told her "if this had to happen to someone, you were the one who could handle it best".

As she prepared to return to her home in New York, she couldn't handle all the inteview requests coming her way from most every major news outlet. But she was literally licking her lips at the chance to rain verbal bullets on SCAF and on the Obama administration that has so uncritically supported it - despite the thousands of arrests, killings and torture it has visited upon Egyptians. She wanted to speak out against a system that in a kind of postmodern medievalism imagines that the spectacle of torture, of "making an example" out of those who dare to speak, would display enough of the awesome power that for decades cowed millions of Egyptians into meekly accepting dicatatorial rule to keep the system intact after Tuesday.

Lifting up her arms, Eltahawy exclaimed: "This is the stability the Obama administration wants?" It was a rhetorical question.

As leading activists from several human rights organisations joined us, we all agreed that, as with the US strategy in Iraq after the invasion in 2003, the goal was to generate enough chaos that people could not see - or have no time or ability to contest - the attempted manipulation of the still embryonic political system's DNA, so that

via www.aljazeera.com

Tantawi scrambles to meet with political forces before million-man demo

Via Ahram Online

Head of the ruling military council in Egypt hastens to meet representatives of prominent parties and movements only hours before planned 'constitutional legitimacy' rally

Only hours before planned mass protests in Cairo’s Tarhir Square against military rule, Field-Marshall Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), is scheduled to meet with representatives of the country’s various political forces in an attempt to resolve the current crisis.

The meeting, which comes only one day before parliamentary polls are set to begin, will be attended by presidential candidates Amr Moussa and Mohamed Selim El-Awa; legal expert Hossam Eissa; activist Mamdouh Hamza; Freedom and Justice Party head Mohamed Morsy; Wafd Party chief El-Sayed El-Badawy; Nour Party leader Emad Abdel Ghafour; prominent Wasat Party member Abu El-Ela Madi; Coptic billionaire and Free Egyptians Party founder Naguib Sawiris; and Sameh Ashour, Nasserist Party head and newly elected Lawyers Syndicate president.

However, a number of political figures announced earlier on Sunday that they would not attend the meeting, including presidential contenders Mohamed ElBaradei, Hamdeen Sabahi and Mohamed Abu El-Ghar. The liberal Adl Party, meanwhile, has announced that it, too, would skip the meeting, saying it had not received a formal invitation, which party officials attributed to the party’s decision to boycott a similar meeting with the SCAF last week.

The meeting comes only hours before a planned million-man protest in Tahrir Square and in public spaces across Egypt. Participants in today’s demonstration – dubbed “rally for revolutionary legitimacy” – will express their rejection of newly appointed Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzoury, who was appointed to the premiership on Friday after his predecessor, Essam Sharaf, was relieved of the post following five days of violent clashes between security forces and anti-SCAF protesters that left at least 41 dead.

Protesters are calling for El-Ganzoury’s Cabinet to be replaced by a revolutionary government of “national salvation” made up of figures chosen by protesters themselves.

 

via english.ahram.org.eg

Egypt Elections: Hussein Tantawi Warns Of 'Extremely Grave' Consequences

via the Huffington Post

CAIRO -- Egypt's military ruler warned of "extremely grave" consequences if the turbulent nation does not pull through its current crisis and urged voters to turn out for landmark parliamentary elections starting Monday.

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi claimed "foreign hands" were behind the latest wave of unrest, an assertion similar to those made by Hosni Mubarak in his final days in power before he was ousted in a popular uprising in February. Tantawi was Mubarak's defense minister for 20 years.

In comments carried by the nation's official news agency, Tantawi rejected calls for him and other generals on the ruling military council he heads to immediately step down.

The warning came as thousands of protesters were filling Cairo's Tahrir Square for another massive demonstration to push for him and the other generals to immediately return to their barracks in favor of a civilian presidential council and a "national salvation" government to run the country's affairs until a president is elected. It was the ninth straight day of a revival of the protest movement that toppled Mubarak. At least 41 protesters have been killed in and more than 2,000 have been wounded, most of them in Cairo.

The military took the reins of power when Mubarak was ousted. But it has come under intense criticism for most of the past nine months for its failure to restore security, stop the rapid worsening of the economy or introduce the far-reaching reforms called for by the youth groups behind Mubarak's fall and the ongoing protest movement.

Tantawi said the military will follow through with its somewhat vague road map for handing over power. The ruling council never set a precise date for transferring authority to an elected civilian administration, only pledging that presidential elections – the last step in the handover process – will be held before the end of June, 2012.

"We will not allow troublemakers to meddle in the elections," he said. "Egypt is at a crossroads – either we succeed politically, economically and socially or the consequences will be extremely grave and we will not allow that."

Tantawi also accused foreign powers he did not name of meddling in Egypt's affairs.

"None of this would have happened if there were no foreign hands," he said. "We will not allow a small minority of people who don't understand to harm Egypt's stability," he said, apparently alluding to the protesters in Tahrir, epicenter of the 18-day uprising that toppled Mubarak.

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Egypt tense as elections loom

Via CNN

A couple walk in Cairo's Tahrir Square, where protesters continue to camp ahead of elections, on November 27

Cairo (CNN) -- Streets in Egypt's capital remained tense Sunday a day ahead of elections.

As protesters packed Cairo's Tahrir Square, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces issued warning of "dire consequences" if the nation's political crisis continues, state-run Al-Masriya TV reported.

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi said parliamentary elections would go ahead as planned Monday, and that he would not allow the military "to be pressured by any individual or entity," state media reported.

Meanwhile, a member of an alliance of demonstrators told Al-Masriya that a new proposed government would be announced later Sunday after meetings with Mohammed ElBaradei, a 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner who is frontrunner for Egypt's presidency.

American student jailed in Egypt talks

Anti-Tahrir Square protests in Egypt

via edition.cnn.com

Egyptian blogger Aliaa Elmahdy: Why I posed naked

When I first began following this story, I wrote, "To everyone his/her own. If posing nude gives Aliaa the freedom she wants, then good for her. However, I really don't see her action as part of the democracy that we aspire towards in Egypt." Today, after having read this interview, I feel as though I know her more. I wish her safety; she is living in a society that is not very allowing or forgiving. 

Via CNN

A crop of the nude photo of Aliaa Magda Elmahdy posted on Twitter and on her blog

Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Egyptian blogger Aliaa Magda Elmahdy has become a household name in the Middle East and sparked a global uproar after a friend posted a photo of her naked on Twitter.

The photo, which the 20-year-old former student first posted on her blog, shows her naked apart from a pair of thigh-high stockings and some red patent leather shoes.

It was later posted on Twitter with the hashtag #nudephotorevolutionary. The tweet was viewed over a million times, while Elmahdy's followers jumped from a few hundred to more than 14,000.

Her actions have received global media coverage and provoked outrage in Egypt, a conservative Muslim country where most women wear the veil. Many liberals fear that Elmahdy's actions will hurt their prospects in the parliamentary election next week.

I took the photo myself using a timer on my personal camera
Aliaa Magda Elmahdy

Elmahdy describes herself as an atheist. She has been living for the past five months with her boyfriend, blogger Kareem Amer, who, in 2006 was sentenced to four years in a maximum security prison for criticizing Islam and defaming former president Hosni Mubarak.

Here she talks exclusively to CNN in Cairo about why she posed nude.

CNN: Why did you post a photo of yourself nude photo on Twitter, and why the red high heels and black stockings?

Elmahdy: After my photo was removed from Facebook, a male friend of mine asked me if he may post it on Twitter. I accepted because I am not shy of being a woman in a society where women are nothing but sex objects harassed on a daily basis by men who know nothing about sex or the importance of a woman.

The photo is an expression of my being and I see the human body as the best artistic representation of that. I took the photo myself using a timer on my personal camera. The powerful colors black and red inspire me.

CNN: Who is Aliaa Elmahdy inside the body portrayed in the nude photo?

Elmahdy: I like being different. I love life, art, photography and expressing my thoughts through writing more than anything. That is why I studied media and hope to take it further to the TV world too so I can expose the truth behind the lies we endure everyday in this world. I don't believe that we must have children only through marriage. It's all about love.

CNN: How have your Egyptian Muslim parents reacted? How do they feel about you living with your boyfriend unmarried?

Elmahdy: I last spoke to them 24 days back. They want to support me and get closer, especially after the photo was released, but they accuse Kareem of manipulating me. He has been my support system and has passed along their text messages to me. I dropped out of AUC (The American University in Cairo where she was a media student) months back after (my parents) attempted to control my life by threatening not to pay the fees.

CNN: The press has labeled you a revolutionary but you were not in Tahrir Square during the 18 days of the revolution in February this year. Is there a political element to you posing nude?

Most Egyptians are secretive about se

via edition.cnn.com

Something Remarkable Is Happening in Egypt

Via The Huffington Post, by Firas Al-Atraqchi

While Egyptian political parties attempt to gain an edge in the growing vacuum of governance since the resignation of the interim cabinet, it is the people of Tahrir Square who are outmanoeuvring them to win the hearts and minds of the rest of the country.

There are four stories to be told in Tahrir: tear gas suffocation and death; extreme police brutality; incredible acts of sacrifice, and the foundation of a new social contract.

To some, the scenes broadcast through Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr or local networks might at first appear apocalyptic, but I think that is a bit too morose an analysis.

There are those who have told me in recent days that the country is being destroyed bit by bit. I disagree. What I have seen emerge from Tahrir and beyond is evidence that the country is being slowly reconstructed. Bit by bit.

Something remarkable happened in the past days. Civic responsibility has become the norm, not the anomaly. During the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak, Egyptians slipped into a comfortable malaise as the rights and freedoms of the individual and their roles in developing the country were forcibly siphoned into a black hole.

The Egyptian regime, aided by its Soviet-style propaganda State media, convinced the average Egyptian that staying at home was the best option while the authorities took care of everything. From subsidizing food staples to idolizing the security forces as the benevolent protectors of the nation, the citizenry were rendered impotent.

But events in Tahrir Square, to some extent in January/February and more so in the past week, have forced the foundation of a new social contract along the lines of how nations were formed during the Greek city-state era.

The young teenagers, rocks in hand, are at the frontlines battling the Central Security Forces (CSF).

They are the warrior class defending the civilians in Tahrir. The teenage protesters have identified a strategic mid-way, which if breached by the CSF, would put the entire square within range of the poisonous tear gas.

Mohamed Mahmoud Street, the epicenter of all the violence audiences see on their screens, is their Thermopylae. It is here they shout "This is Egypt!"

The doctors, who have flocked to Tahrir to attend to the scores of wounded -- more than 2,000 at the time of writing this -- and trying desperately to save lives, have put themselves at risk. No one asked them to do this. My friend Khaled has gone every day to help treat the wounded; he has saved lives, and he has seen human life slip between his fingers. He does not know the numbers, but he returns again and again, each time inhaling a bit more of the gas.

These doctors are the caretakers.

Then there are the thousands who in recent days have come to Tahrir with food, blankets, and much-needed medical supplies. At my neighbourhood pharmacy, two girls of about 16 walked in, shy and hesitant. One spurred the other to talk; I thought they were asking for birth control pills. Only later after leaving the pharmacy did I realize they were buying supplies to take to Tahrir.

Ragia and Lamees, two of my students, have been making supply runs to Tahrir since Sunday, leaving as soon as their classes are over. I met Salma, another student and activist, on Wednesday; she had rings under her eyes. She hadn't slept in days because of her supply drive for Tahrir.

It is people like Ragia, Lamees and Salma that are the providers.

Then there are the citizen politicians -- those in Tahrir Square, distanced from the frontline warfare -- who have been urging socio-political and religious unity. This is particularly important because of the unease and frustration which surfaced after the October 9 massacre of Coptic protesters outside the Maspiro State Radio and TV buil

via www.huffingtonpost.com

White House calls for Egyptian military to hand power to civilian regime

Via guardian.com by Chris McGreal       

Washing increases pressure on ruling generals to cede power to civilian governmen as protests contue in Cairo.

 

            Protests spread across Egypt as former PM agrees to form new government. Link to this video

The White House has called for the Egyptian military to surrender all power immediately to a new civilian government that is due to be elected within the next few days.

In a marked increase of pressure on the ruling generals after days of hesitancy, Washington appears to have withdrawn its support for the army to retain a significant political role after next week's parliamentary elections.

But the US nevertheless threw its weight behind the ruling military council's plan to press ahead with the elections despite days of protest and dozens of deaths among demonstrators. Protesters have demanded the vote be postponed because the army would still have ultimate authority in running the country until the middle of next year.

The White House said the army council should swiftly cede full control to the newly appointed prime minister, Kamal Ganzouri, and his government.
"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," the White House said in a statement.

"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".

Previously, Washington had only condemned the violence in broad terms, angering many Egyptians by implying that the security forces and protesters were equally responsible.

It also previously urged the military to speed up the transition to civilian rule but did not publicly question the army's oversight of the process nor its plan to retain significant political power for many months, possibly years.

The White House statement marks a shift from its more ambiguous positions in which it sought to avoid publicly criticising the military regime which receives about $1.3bn a year in aid from the US.

In Cairo, more than 100,000 people packed into Tahrir Square on Friday for the biggest demonstration since the current showdown began, with activists accusing the generals of trying to extend the old guard.

Organisers called the demonstration "the last chance million-man protest." Swelling crowds chanted, "leave, leave" and "the people want to bring down the field marshal", in a reference to the military leader Mohamed Tantawi, who took over power from Mubarak.

Pro-reform leader and Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei was mobbed by hundreds of supporters as he arrived in the square and took part in Friday prayers. The demonstrators have vowed not to leave the plaza until the generals hand power to a civilian presidential council.

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

About 5,

via www.guardian.co.uk

Egypt protest against military rulers is biggest yet

Via Latimes.com

Pro-reform leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, draped in an Egyptian flag, is surrounded by protesters as he arrives for Friday prayers in Tahrir Square in Cairo. (Khalil Hamra, Associated Press / November 25, 2011)

They came by the tens of thousands, swelling through neighborhoods, marching over bridges and pouring into Tahrir Square on Friday in the biggest protest yet against Egypt's increasingly isolated military rulers.

Workers, mothers, activists, students and doctors, their numbers multiplying into nightfall, rallied in spirit and defiance reminiscent of the chilly February days that marked the end of Hosni Mubarak's regime. Dubbed "Last Chance Friday," the demonstration had the hardened determination of a battle and the air of a carnival. Protesters bandaged after earlier clashes with police wandered amid families with face-painted children.

The protest, attracting close to 100,000 people, erupted days ahead of Monday's first round of parliamentary elections, heightening this frayed nation's political turmoil and intensifying the standoff between protesters and generals who have yet to find a way out of a crisis that is eroding their once-unquestioned legitimacy.

In a bold public rebuke, Washington urged the military to step aside, a sign of the Obama administration's growing frustration over months of human rights abuses and stifled democracy in one of the region's most influential nations — one whose military receives about $1.3 billion in annual U.S. aid.

"The United States strongly believes that the new Egyptian government must be empowered with real authority immediately," the White House said in a statement. "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."

The rancor between the military and demonstrators crystallized Thursday when the army appointed Kamal Ganzouri, 78, a prime minister under Mubarak, to head a new interim government. Protesters said the selection was a throwback to an era they want to erase, another sign that the army, just like Mubarak, is aloof to the demands of the street.

"The choice of Ganzouri shows the military's stubbornness toward the people," said Therese Gamil, a university student. "We're witnessing the same scenario of lies like during the revolution to oust Mubarak. False promises, bad choices and statements that come out while people continue to be killed."

At a news conference, Ganzouri said the military had granted him more powers than were given to the interim Cabinet led by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, which resigned this week. It was unclear what those powers would include. A leading activist group, the Jan. 25 Revolution Youth, said it would stage a sit-in near the Cabinet building to prevent Ganzouri from entering.

"I asked for some time to name the ministers of the new government, which will certainly not be formed before the elections," said Ganzouri, who served Mubarak from 1996 to 1999. "But it will not take long."

The military did find a bastion of support Friday. Thousands of people gathered in Cairo's Abbasiya neighborhood shouting slogans in favor of Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the man they regard as holding the nation together amid economic uncertainty and social upheaval.

But the demonstration in Tahrir Square re-energized activists who for months had grown both outraged and anxious. Footsteps an

via www.latimes.com

November 19: the second revolutionary wave

Tahrir Square, today, Friday, November 25, is a positive scene—a vibrant yet peaceful one. Most tweets are encouraging. This follows a week of truly tragic turbulences.

Cairo and many other cities in Egypt have seen gruesome bloodshed last week—many died of asphyxiation as a massive amount of tear gas was hurled at the activists. The rampant but severe  brutality remains unexplained. Many lost their eye sight from gunshot wounds aimed accurately at the activists’ eyes; I kept visualizing the police force envisioning humans as target signs. One in particular left his mark on me. Ahmed Harara lost his right eye on January 28, and he lost his left one on November 19.

I find his perseverance quite mindboggling. True I love Egypt wholeheartedly, but once bitten twice shy. I wouldn’t have ventured into the Tahrir arena the second time round. But who am I to compare myself to these resilient and tenacious activists?  

And now that Essam Sharaf’s government’s resignation has been accepted—with the approval of the Square—in comes Kamal El Ganzouri with his new government—but with the disapproval of the Square. Tahrir has clearly voiced its discontent with the choice. Kamal El Ganzouri is old and incapable, they say. And they have already stamped the new prime minister with illegitimacy and flagged his government as incapable, even before its inception. And clearly this view will make it harder for the new government to do any good if it actually can do any.

But how could the activists have reacted otherwise, I ask. According to them, SCAF remains loyal to Mubarak. They perceive its actions as totally against Egypt. This is why they can’t see the newly appointed prime minister as anything but yet another puppet in the hands of SCAF. One tweeter said, ”Hamdeen, Baradei, Abou El Fetouh, Abou Ismail, anyone who governs now will be embarrassed and stamped with failure, and the revolution will lose him. Al Ganzouri will burn out in a couple of months.” (Dr.BassemYoussef)

Amidst all this, the elections for the National Assembly begin Monday, November 28. Some Egyptians are against the elections—much too soon, they say. Some will stay away for fear of harassment, and maybe even retaliation. And others will avoid the election out of sheer gloom and despair—to these nothing will work. But many will indeed vote, hoping that the election will be the first step towards a more secure and peaceful Egypt. The jury is still out on whether the elections will lead the way to stability or disaster though. Nothing is guaranteed in today’s Egypt.

Surprisingly, in this second revolutionary wave, the remaining 80 million or so Egyptians are going about their business in an almost normal fashion. Sure people are worried and angry, and sympathetic towards the heroic souls in Tahrir and Mohammed Mahmoud Street, the street that saw the bulk of the turmoil. And ordinary Egyptians are seen weeping impulsively from the brutality inflicted on other Egyptians. However, they are going to school and work; they are socializing and even throwing wedding parties. This time round a two-sworded sense of complacency and acceptance exists.

On one hand, it is a good thing that life has not been disrupted as it was during January and February. Then everything was shut down including banks and schools. Curfew restricted people’s movement to a few hours a day—8 a.m. till 3 p.m. Life was practically on hold.   

But on the other hand, this blasé attitude expresses a sentiment that is disturbing. One tweeter said, “I realize it’s been rough on all of us and some still persevere protesting, but not every1 has the same instability tolerance threshold.” (Nevine Baligh) I find this quote quite profound and insightful—not all Egyptians can take this level of agitation and disturbance. After my tweet that acclaimed the Tahrir as a full house—كامل العدد, Mamina, another tweeter said, “And then?” People are unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel—yet. 

So what now?

Events change and take twists and turns by the hour. One minute matters are under control; and the next the world is tumbling around us.

I had hoped that the elections can get us quicker onto the right path, but I am not quite sure of its ability to do so at this point. In all fairness, I’m not sure of anything.

If anything I’m sure that the Tahrir activists are not ready to call it quits. By the same token, I’m sure that SCAF will not give in so easily. Even if SCAF might have given up power before last week’s events, it won’t now because the activist will be after the members and calling for their judgment and redemption for those who died. SCAF remembers what happened to Mubarak after he was ousted. SCAF will never give up power now, and yet the fury in Tahrir will never subside. In the meantime, we have cornered ourselves big time.   

It truly leaves Egypt, the country and its people, in a dreadful bind.

Egypt new Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri asks for time

Via BBC

Prime Minister-designate Kamal Ganzouri has asked Egyptians to "give me a chance" as tens of thousands rally in Cairo against the military rulers.

In his first public comments since being named, he said he would not name a new government before Monday's polls.

The protesters in central Cairo's Tahrir Square want the parliamentary elections postponed.

Not far away, a smaller counter-demonstration was held in support of the military and the elections.

More than 40 people were killed earlier this week as the security forces tried to break up the massive protests, leading to the worst violence since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in February.

But the BBC's Lyse Doucet in Tahrir Square says a truce seems to have ended the clashes and a carnival atmosphere returned to the demonstrations on Friday.

People were letting off fireworks and shouting "Down with the military regime," she says.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) is overseeing a transition to civilian rule.

Despite promises by the council to speed up the process, some protesters fear it intends to cling to power. They want military rule to end before parliamentary elections are held.

Yet many Egyptians want the polls to go ahead as planned. One influential group, the Muslim Brotherhood - which is expected to do well in the vote - is not supporting the Tahrir Square protests.

At least 10,000 people staged a rival rally on Friday in Abbasiya Square - near the defence ministry, north of Tahrir Square - to show support for the military's electoral timetable

They chanted "Down with Tahrir" and "Yes to the military council".

Washington has said power in Egypt should be transferred to civilians "as soon as possible".

"The United States strongly believes that the new Egyptian government must be empowered with real authority immediately," a White House statement said.

Sunni Islam's highest authority, the grand imam of Cairo's al-Azhar mosque, sent the Tahrir Square protesters a rare message of support. An aide, Hassan Shafie, was shown on local TV telling the crowd on Tahrir Square: "The grand imam backs you and is praying for your victory."

There have also been anti-military protests in Alexandria and the southern towns of Luxor and Assiut, according to the AP news agency.

'Tantawi not staying'

In Cairo, hundreds of protesters camped outside the cabinet office, saying they would prevent Mr Ganzouri's team from entering.

The prime minister-designate said he was sure that Scaf leader Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi had no desire to stay in power, saying that otherwise, he would not have agreed to lead the new government.

via www.bbc.co.uk