European Forum

Egypt’s new prime minister appointment takes people to streets

Yesterday (24 November) thousands of Egyptian protesters returned to Tahrir Square after the military council unveiled their plans to appoint Kamal al-Ganzuri, the Mubarak-era prime minister, to head a new government.

Kamal al-Ganzuri distanced himself from Mubarak after the mass protests in Egypt earlier this year, although he was close to the former president while serving his prime ministerial term between 1996 and 1999.

The announced plan of the appointment of a new prime minister by the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces (SCAF) came as a reaction to activists’ demands for a civilian government after the former Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and his government quit en masse the week of November 21. However, such development rapidly prompted negative reactions from Egyptian activists and the chants "We don’t want him" erupted in the square. Although, some voiced they do not want another Mubarak-official in the government, there were those who expressed their hope that al-Ganzuri will be able to change things for the better due to his good reputation and discrepancies in views with the previous regime. The SCAF leaders warned that the process of transferring power to civilians should not be rushed in order to avoid chaos.

Last week, the new wave of protests, that were fuelled by the discontent of the military leaders inaction over political reforms, left more than 40 people dead and more than 3,200 injured. Yesterday, SCAF apologised for the death of demonstrators and pledged that the elections for a People’s Assembly, that were feared to be postponed because of the clashes, will take place as scheduled (November 28 - the first round). Additionally, the military rulers said the street police will secure the order in the country during the poll.

Expressing the position of the United States on the current situation in Egypt White House spokesman Jay Carney said that ‘full transfer of power to a civilian government must take place in a just and inclusive manner that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people, as soon as possible’.

Sources: Aljazeera, CNN. Image: Flickr.