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Egypt: Tantawi vows to transfer power
Head of Egypt's Military Council addresses nation amid growing unrest, pledges to transfer power to new civilian government by July 2012. Masses in Tahrir Square demand his resignation
Damage control? Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who heads Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), addressed the Egyptian nation on Tuesday, amid growing civil unrest.
The address was preceded by persistent rumors that the Military Council was planning to relinquish its powers to Cairo's Supreme Court.
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Tantawi's address, which was prerecorded and broadcast to hundreds of thousands of protesters who gathered in Tahrir Square, put an end to the rumors.
Throughout the speech, the masses in Tahrir Square called for Tantawi to step down immediately.
Earlier, the Military Council announced that Egypt will hold its parliamentary elections on November 28 as scheduled, and set the next presidential elections for June. No exact date was set, but according to Cairo's media, SCAF seeks to have the new president sworn in by July of next year.
Masses in Tahrir Square (Photo: AP)
Egypt's military ruler also floated the idea of a referendum on an immediate power transfer: "The Military Council does not seek to rule. We are more than willing to transfer power if a people's referendum demands it," he said.
Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has been the country's de facto ruler since President Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign in February.
Protesters in Cairo (Photo: AFP)
"The Armed Forces will not take the place of the people's government," Tantawi vowed. "We do not intend to cling to power. Our goal has always been to reinstate security to Egypt.
"Running the country in this unusual time has not been easy. Talk is easy – but the reality on the ground is different… We have tried to manage things wisely," he said.
'Less than convincing'
Protesters in Tahrir Squar were less than convinced by the general's promises, saying that they did not believe a word of Tantawi's speech.
"We can't believe what he says. The ball was the Military Council's court for months and they did nothing," one protester said.
(Photo: Reuters)
"Tantawi is a carbon copy of Mubarak," another added. "Tantawi is in military uniform and his speech was like the ones Mubarak gave," he added.
Striving to maintain political stability amid growing civil unrest, Egypt's SCAF is reportedly considering naming former International Atomic Energy Agency Chief Mohamed ElBaradei as Cairo's new prime minister.
ElBaradei, on his part, claimed over Egyptian social networks that police forces "massacred" protesters in Tahrir Square: "The protesters are facing live fire and tear gas. Stop this heinous massacre, and be fearful of Allah," he wrote.
ElBaradei has reportedly demanded extensive authorities, as well as a SCAF pledge that it will not interfere in government matters.
Meanwhile, the White House on Tuesday called for an end to the "deplorable" violence in Egypt and said elections there must go forward.
"We are deeply concerned about the violence. The violence is deplorable. We call on all sides to exercise restraint," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.
AP contributed to this report
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