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Summary The US increased pressure on Egypt's military rulers to hand over power to civilian leaders.
The US increased pressure on Egypts military rulers to hand over power to civilian leaders, and the generals turned to a Mubarak-era politician to head a new government in a move that failed to satisfy the more than 100,000 protesters who jammed Tahrir Square in the biggest rally yet this week.The demonstrators rejected the appointment of Kamal el-Ganzouri as prime minister, breaking into chants of Illegitimate Illegitimate and setting up a showdown between the two sides only three days before key parliamentary elections.The size of the rally and the resilience of protesters in the face of the violence used by security forces in this weeks deadly street battles have won back for the movement much of the strength it projected during the 18-day uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February.Showing the sort of resolve from the earliest days of the Arab Spring, the protesters say they will not leave the iconic square until the military rulers led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi step down and a civilian presidential council is formed to run the country until a new leader is elected.They stole our January revolution because we did not agree on who should represent us, said activist Sedeeqah Abu Seadah. We shouted erhal (leave) but did not shout the name of the person we want.The militarys appointment of el-Ganzouri, its apology for the death of protesters and a series of partial concessions in the past two days suggest that the generals are struggling to overcome the most serious challenge to their nine-month rule, with fewer options now available to them.Significantly adding to their predicament, the Obama administration brought its position on the crisis in Egypt closer to the protesters demands, urging the military to fully empower the next interim civilian government.We believe that Egypts 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.
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