Egypt's Military Concessions Rejected by Protesting Mobs in Cairo's Tahrir Square

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square, rejecting the concessions made by Egypt's ruling military to transfer power to a civilian government by July next year and form a new Cabinet. The protesters, demanding the immediate resignation of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and his council of generals, chanted slogans reminiscent of the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak nine months ago. The military rulers had accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's government and agreed to form a "national salvation" Cabinet, but the protesters deemed these concessions insufficient. The protests came less than a week before the first parliamentary election since Mubarak's ouster, which is scheduled over three months.

Key Takeaways:

• The military rulers moved up the date for transferring power to a civilian government to July next year and consulted with political parties on forming a new Cabinet.
• The concessions were rejected by tens of thousands of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, who demanded the immediate resignation of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and his council of generals.
• The military agreed to release all protesters detained since Saturday and to put on trial police and army officers responsible for protesters' deaths.
• Nearly 30 protesters have been killed since Saturday, and the commander of the Military Police and the Interior Minister must be tried for "horrific crimes".
• The military agreed to hold presidential elections before the end of June 2012, a vote the ruling council has deemed the final stage necessary for transferring power.
• Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's government has resigned, and a "national salvation" Cabinet will be formed to replace it.
• Aboul-Ela Madi and Mohammed Selim el-Awa, politicians who attended a crisis meeting with the military rulers, said the generals accepted the concessions and agreed to transfer power according to the new timeline.
• Khaled El-Sayed, a member of the Youth Revolution Coalition, stated that the protesters' demands are clear and that they want the military council to step down and hand over authority to a national salvation government with full authority.

Statistics:

• Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square.
• Nearly 30 protesters have been killed since Saturday.
• The military agreed to hold presidential elections before the end of June 2012.
• The first parliamentary election since Mubarak's ouster will be held over three months.
• Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's government has resigned, and a "national salvation" Cabinet will be formed to replace it.

Sources:

• The Associated Press, Cairo, Nov. 24
• Aboul-Ela Madi and Mohammed Selim el-Awa, politicians who attended a crisis meeting with the military rulers.