Hundreds of Egyptians have gathered in Tahrir Square in Cairo on Friday urging interim military rulers to accelerate democratic reforms and announce a concrete timeline for a handover to civilian rule.
Protesters were holding anti-corruption banners, one of which said “The people want to purify the state.” The new demonstration is dubbed “Correcting the Path” of the revolution which swept through the country in winter this year and crushed Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
The participants of this Friday’s protests were also demanding an end to military trials of civilians and pushing for a speedier transition to democracy. The country has been governed by an interim government for almost eight months and is in the run-up to presidential elections, preliminarily scheduled for October or November 2011.
The protests were not interrupted by the police, who were swept from the site for 24 hours on the Interim Minister’s order to allow the demonstrations to be held peacefully.
Tahrir Square in Cairo has become a regular place for protests since the old regime fell in February. Since then, protesters have been demanding quicker reforms and prosecution for old regime leaders, including Hosni Mubarak himself, who is now under a trial.
The people gathered in Tahrir Square for the “Correction” demonstrations today do not represent the Egyptian population, says Sabah Al-Mukhtar, president of the Arab Lawyers Association. It is only the liberal movement.
“Today’s demonstration is not very large,” Sabah Al-Mukhtar told RT from London. “The Islamists have not joined in, on the basis that the Muslim Brotherhood is not concerned with the electoral law.”
What we see now is a political struggle between various political movements, which have raised their heads over last two months in Egypt, added Al-Mukhtar.