# "Because they know nobody can touch them."



## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

t may be midsummer in Egypt, but Cairo's Tahrir Square has recaptured some of the heady spirit of the Arab Spring that brought down President Hosni Mubarak. For the past six days and nights, the square has been occupied by a permanent protest camp, its impromptu dance circles, mingling of families and mix of social classes reminiscent of the February days and nights that preceded Mubarak's ouster.
The revolutionary fervor in the square isn't shared by a growing number of Egyptians frustrated by the ongoing protests, which have periodically shut down businesses and infrastructure in the months following the uprising. Protesting is counterproductive and it's time to move on, many argue. And the military leadership that seized control of the country — ostensibly temporarily — after Mubarak stepped down agrees wholeheartedly.
(See TIME's complete coverage of the Middle East in revolt.)
"We have to differentiate between rightful demands that the armed forces are going to listen to and implement, and destruction, which is something that the armed forces are never going to allow," Major General Mahmoud Hegazy, a member of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, said at a press conference on Tuesday.
But the men and women blocking traffic talk politics and raise banners together late into the night. And Tahrir Square, rich with opportunity for political parties signing up new members and even the vendors hawking patriotic wares, occupies a special place in the hearts of those who made the revolution. There's a reason the tech-savvy activists tweet and Facebook message their relief and nostalgia every time thousands pour back into the square. Partly, it's a therapeutic exercise for a country still reeling from decades of repression. Mostly, though, it's because for many Egyptian activists, Tahrir remains the only way they know to press for change from a military regime that has not satisfied the demands of many.
"The ex-regime is still controlling the country," says Wafik Ghitany, a member of the liberal Wafd party, expressing an increasingly common sentiment. "The military council is the same one that was headed by Mubarak himself."
(Watch TIME's video "The State of Egypt's Revolution: Growing Anger at the Army.")
Indeed, the inherent conundrum in Egypt's now five-month-old political transition, and for the protest movement spurring it on, is that protesters are essentially demanding that a dictatorship prosecute itself; they're counting on a corrupt elite to reform a corrupt system. Mubarak has fallen, many point out, but the generals who helped keep him in power are now in charge.
This week, the protesters achieved some victories. Interim Prime Minister Essam Sharaf promised a Cabinet reshuffle. And on Wednesday, the government said it would dismiss nearly 700 police officers hired under the ex-regime — a key demand of protesters who have complained that Mubarak's brutal Interior Ministry has not been held accountable for its abuses. The military also announced that elections slated for September would be held in October or November, calming the fears of many liberal parties and activists who fear being eclipsed at the polls by better-organized Islamist rivals if the poll is held too soon.
Yet, still the protest in Tahrir winds on. That may be due in part to the realization that there's a big difference between a regime being responsive to public opinion and being willing to cede power to a democracy. "Nobody can challenge the military — [not] even a democratically elected President. At least not for another 10 years," predicts Hisham Kassem, a prominent newspaper editor and publisher. The military will be comfortable with "anyone" as President, he adds. Why? "Because they know nobody can touch them."
See TIME's exclusive photos of turmoil in Egypt.


Read more: Egypt: Having Dislodged Mubarak, Protesters Struggle On - TIME


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## Eco-Mariner (Jan 26, 2011)

Has the Constitution been written already to give any new President a 10 year term?

Or is this pure speculation on behalf of the interim military heads of government?


Eco.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Egyptian state television has begun broadcasting live coverage of the corruption trials of officials who served under President Hosni Mubarak.

Scheduled programmes were interrupted to show former Information Minister Anas al-Fiqi and the former head of state TV, Usamah al-Sheikh, in court.

PM Essam Sharaf has delayed swearing in his new cabinet following complaints the shake-up did not go far enough.

Mr Mubarak is due in court next month but reports say he is seriously ill.

He has been receiving treatment in a hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh since he was forced out of office in February.

The move to broadcast the former officials' trials live follows pressure from the opposition for greater transparency in the post-revolution justice process.

Mr Fiqi and Mr Sheikh are accused of losing Egypt at least $2m (£1.3m) of revenue by corruptly giving away the right to broadcast the Egyptian football league by satellite.

The court said Mr Fiqi, who denied the charges, had done this in his "personal interests as part of an attempt to impose his control and media policies on these stations".

'Opaque' process
Other trials of members of the former regime have already taken place.

Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif received a one-year suspended jail term, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly was given five years and former Finance Minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali was sentenced in absentia to 10 years, all on corruption charges.


The broadcast meets some of the demands of the opposition and the protesters who have once more gathered in the capital's Tahrir Square, the scene of the mass demonstrations earlier this year.

Our correspondent says the live broadcast also appears to set a precedent for Mr Mubarak's trial on charges of corruption and abuse of power, which is due to start on 3 August.

Over the weekend, Mr Mubarak's doctors denied that his health had significantly deteriorated, following comments from the former leader's lawyer that he had suffered a stroke and was in a coma.

A new cabinet was due to be sworn in on Monday, after the new wave of protests forced Prime Minister Sharaf to carry out a reshuffle.

But the new line-up was greeted with anger by the protesters, who said it did not go far enough in removing officials associated with the previous regime.

State-run Nile TV said the swearing-in would now take place on Monday, to "allow for the completion of negotiations".


BBC


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## Gounie (Jan 27, 2011)

This is quite an interesting personal account by Omar Kamel of Tahrir Square. I need four posts to put a link so it will appear below....


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## Gounie (Jan 27, 2011)

OK it still won't allow me so you can search: 
karmamole. com/septic/e-pluribus-pluribus-the-battle-of-tahrir/


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