Friday, March 04, 2011

Egypt’s Prime Minister Ahmad Shafiq resigned Thursday and the military asked a former transport minister to form a new government which pro-democracy activists want to be purged of Hosni Mubarak’s old guard.
The opposition hailed the decision as another victory for “people power” but many warned pressure must be maintained on the military to implement other democratic reforms, including an accountable police agency and a new constitution.

The new premier, Essam Sharaf, served in the Cabinet for 18 months between 2004 and the end of 2005.
Shafiq was appointed prime minister by Mubarak in his final days in office before he was ousted on Feb. 11 after an 18-day popular uprising which shook the Middle East. There have since been protests and political pressure for Shafiq to step down.

Protesters, some of whom have erected tents in Tahrir Square, greeted the news of Shafiq’s resignation with jubilation and relief. They applauded the armed forces for meeting their demands and chanted: “The people and the army are united.”

Activists say they had recommended the choice of Sharaf. “We have become again the owners of this country,” said Bassem Kamel, a member of the Youth Coalition, an umbrella group of activists who launched the protests Jan. 25.
An engineer, Sharaf appeared to fit the image of a professional civil servant who after leaving office founded a group of like-minded scientists called “the age of science.”

The youth celebrated in the way that was the pillar of their uprising: on social networking sites. Soon after his appointment, the name of the new minister started trending on Twitter.
“We are writing the electronic revolutionary history. Long live Egypt,” wrote Abdel-Rahman Mohamed, a 20-year-old student.

The Youth Coalition also canceled Friday’s sit-in in Tahrir Square calling for Shafiq’s resignation. Instead, there will be a rally to celebrate their latest victory and they invited Sharaf to deliver his oath in the square.

An army source said Sharaf was meeting with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to discuss the new Cabinet he will announce early next week.

The key jobs of foreign, interior and justice ministers were also likely to be reshuffled shortly, an army source said, to cleanse the government of remaining links to Mubarak.
The Council of the Protectors of the Revolution, a body of technocrats and political figures, welcomed Sharaf as premier. But not everyone was as positive.

“This is a change for the worse not for the better,” said Hassan Nafaa, a political scientist at Cairo University who also actively campaigned against Mubarak, adding: “Shafiq left but the one who has been installed has no political vision or anything to do with politics. There are other interests being secured that are thwarting change.”

Sahfiq’s resignation coincided with Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul arrival in Egypt on an official visit. Gul said after meeting the military rulers he was convinced the army was serious about piloting a democratic transition.
“We believe that this process of transition should end in a way to satisfy all the expectations of Egyptian people,” Gul said after meeting Mohammad Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Military Council. “Egypt should switch to a democratic, parliamentary and constitutional system.”

Shafiq, a former air force commander, has been tipped by one military source as a potential contender for the presidency in a forthcoming election. Arab League chief Amr Moussa, a former foreign minister, has emerged as an early frontrunner after announcing his candidacy. ElBaradei is also seen as a candidate.
“This is a question I do not have to answer today,” he said when asked by Reuters whether he would run. “I need to complete what I set to do which is to shift Egypt from a dictatorship to a liberated Egypt. We will see as we go along.” – Agencies