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Subscribe to RSSMass protests were called across Egypt on Tuesday against the ruling military council's bid to grab new powers, as the United States and Britain called for a swift transfer of leadership.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which has claimed victory in the country’s presidential election, urged demonstrations against generals who issued decrees dissolving the Islamist-dominated parliament and claiming all legislative power for themselves.
Regional news channel, Al Jazeera, reported crowds had already started gathering in Tahrir Square late Tuesday. Protesters also gathered in Egypt's second city of Alexandria, Reuters said.
However, there was little hope of unity among the parties hoping to lead the new Egypt into a new era beyond military rule.
A spokesman for Ahmed Shafik, the former prime minister who served in the era of former President Hosni Mubarak, claimed victory in the presidential election described the assertion by the Muslim Brotherhood as “false”, Al Jazeera said.
"What we have at the moment is both sides claiming they have won, and both sides are using exactly the same figures,” said Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna.
Egypt's passage from revolution to democracy was in limbo on Monday, as the Muslim Brotherhood claimed victory in a presidential election while the generals who took over from Hosni Mubarak decreed it was they who would keep power for now. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
The official results are not expected until Thursday.
Egypt’s ruling army council, which took control when Mubarak was driven from office last year, issued an 11th-hour decree assuming legislative powers until a new parliament is elected, and keeping control of army affairs.
The decree came out on Sunday as counting for the presidential vote was under way. Days earlier the army had implemented a court ruling to dissolve the Islamist-led parliament, stripping the Brotherhood of its biggest gain since Mubarak was ousted.
The United States urged Egypt's military to move swiftly on plans to transfer full power to an elected civilian government on Monday, and suggested failure to do so would prompt a review of U.S. ties, which includes billions of dollars in military and civilian aid.
Military guards Egypt power as Islamists claim victory
Both the State Department and the Pentagon - which oversees the close military links between the two countries - voiced concerns over moves by Egypt's generals to tighten their grip on power despite a presidential vote aimed at sealing the country's democratic future.
The military power grab represents a dilemma for the Obama administration, which publicly backed the revolution that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak last year but also sees the Egyptian army as a crucial regional security partner.
At the same time, some in Washington may share the Egyptian military's wariness of the Muslim Brotherhood, a popular Islamist group whose candidate some reports said was leading in Egypt's presidential vote.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Egypt was at a critical juncture and the United States was "concerned by decisions that appear to prolong the military's hold on power."
"We call on the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to restore popular and international confidence in the democratic transition process by following through on their stated commitments," Nuland told a news briefing.
The United States, the main financial supporter of Egypt's military, will hold the council to its promises for an inclusive constitutional drafting process, the timely seating of a democratically elected parliament, and the swift, permanent transfer of power to a civilian government, Nuland said.
"They've made a commitment to the Egyptian people, and we want to see them meet it," Nuland said.
"This is an evolving situation that we are watching closely. The decisions that are taken in this crucial period are naturally going to have an impact on the nature of our engagement with the government and with the SCAF moving forward," she said.
The concerns were echoed on Tuesday by Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague, who said: ““We were concerned by recent announcements of the dissolution of Parliament and the reintroduction of powers of arrest and detention for the military. The process of drafting a new, inclusive Constitution and the holding of new parliamentary elections should be taken forward as soon as possible.
“The UK will continue to support the people of Egypt in their aspirations for greater economic opportunities, political participation, freedom and rights, and to that end work with the Egyptian leadership elected by the people.”
The Obama administration in March formally released $1.3 billion in military aid for Egypt despite Cairo's failure to meet pro-democracy goals, saying U.S. national security required continued military assistance.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton waived congressional conditions imposed late last year that tied U.S. aid to progress in Egypt's transition to democracy following Mubarak's ouster.
Egypt has received more than $1 billion annually in U.S. military aid for years, and Congress has also approved $250 million in economic aid and up to $60 million for an "enterprise fund" for this fiscal year, which ends on September 30.
Political analysts said the latest move by the Egyptian military had forced the United States into a difficult position
"The United States has to decide if it wants to be associated with this counter-revolution by the military," said Michele Dunne, director of the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East.
"They have to be asking themselves now whether waiving those conditions on the (military) aid was wise."
Reuters contributed to this report.
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton waived congressional conditions imposed late last year that tied U.S. aid to progress in Egypt's transition to democracy following Mubarak's ouster.//Too late now !
"They have to be asking themselves now whether waiving those conditions on the (military) aid was wise." // Can we waste more military money helping the enemy , fools , when we don't even know which way they are going ? Does our government have a clue ?
1.3 billion to be exact Ajgorm!
Are there any trustworthy Arabs? "Power to the people!" is meaningless where the people are so diametrically opposed and where the military won't let go of their control. If all these North African and Middle East countries fight it out a la Viet Nam AND WE STAY UNINVOLVED, they'll destroy each other and most of what little they have...and we can go in and claim the oil giving the few sheiks, kings, and imams that survive good-paying jobs in the oil fields. Everybody wins who's left alive. And Israel can live in peace.
Time to open a"Burqas are Us" Store
Business as usual in Egypt and the US, a bunch of warmongering males deciding who gets to kick the women around. Pitiful, so many cowards imposing ancient, stupid, violent male rules on the entire population. The only other boys club equal to the Muslim Brotherhood is DC's Christian Brotherhood where the majority of them are bullies and abusers of women and children. Both boys clubs, no women allowed, in the name of God whom they created in their own egotistical image. Women of the world need to band together and think seriously about defeating theocracy in this lifetime. It's a war men started thousands of years ago and continue it today for obvious reasons. The basis of all of the worlds discrimination, it is used to empower men and create war, period. They've had their time, it may be best to consider what China and India does except for males. We may be able to usher peace in the world but not as long as males are dominant since war and it's inhumane byproducts are the sole purpose of male existence and the death of women and children.
Don't kid yourself. Women are just as capable of being violent and fierce as well. It is not as prevalent because men are stronger and more prone to aggression. Look up Griselda Blanco. Used to be the top drug lord in the Colombian cocaine business. That woman was downright evil. If you wish to live in a world with no men for the sake of a lack of violence, you are deluded. Human beings are human beings, male or female. And i happen to be a man who despises violence and would like all violent people either locked up or put down.
Uh yea, the posting was all about women...
Get a @!$%#ing clue
Obama went over there and talked about democracy, he now has to live with the fruits of his speech. He has helped put Arab countries in danger due to his whole hope and change speech to them. He speaks before he thinks that has been the whole problem with him. Other than that I like him!!
bush started the discussion about democracy in the middle east with his invasion of iraq.
Not that I think either president has much influence there, except the direct influence of invading and deposing regimes directly
I have to hand it to the Egyptian Military. They have played this whole revolution very well. Now that their candidate has claimed victory, and the MB has threatened action if they lose, the military can sit back and wait for the violence. Then they are justified in cracking down and taking more power. They can appeal to long time friends across the world who do not want the Islamists to rise and go back to business after repressing the Islamists. Its not like the military hasn't been suppressing them for decades. And the world knew this. But now when they do it, not so many people (like Obama) are going to be up in arms about it, because then they would be supporting Islam directly rather than democracy.
Hope the military succeeds in this gambit. Egypt has a rich history that needs to be preserved, and much has been destroyed with this Islamic Revolution.
Arab Spring Ehh? Looks more and more like a Civil War is coming to Egypt. And Perhaps the rest of the Middle East . One Look at how the President handled the descent in Iran . And it was off to the races. The U.S. is No Longer interested in Helping Allies but instead Her Enemies.
The Obama administration supports a smooth transition of power to the Muslim Brotherhood if that's what the "people" want~ selah .... this and the following is all we need to know for the coming elections ...
The Obama administration in March formally released $1.3 billion in military aid for Egypt despite Cairo's failure to meet pro-democracy goals, saying U.S. national security required continued military assistance.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton waived congressional conditions imposed late last year that tied U.S. aid to progress in Egypt's transition to democracy following Mubarak's ouster.
Egypt has received more than $1 billion annually in U.S. military aid FOR YEARS, and Congress has also approved $250 million in economic aid and up to $60 million for an "enterprise fund" for this fiscal year, which ends on September 30.
I love how the House agress to release over $1 million to Syria, but not to states so they can hire more teachers, police, and firefighters.
Well so much for the bush and PNAC doctrine of bringing democracy to the middle east
Nothing better than good 'ol fashioned, muslim harmony.
Another Shaira @!$%#hole, thanks to the garbage of Islam
It's way the time that the United States stops trying to cure other nations problem and spends the time, effort and resources to take care of its own numerous problems. Stop taking care of everyone else take care of the United states
The military knows their fate once the power is handed over they are done over gone this is a civil war may the best rebel win. The Muslim Brotherhood will rule the Middle East. Blame the NTC !
Tabasco Ed needs to join the Marines! Isolationism is one thing, but sticking your finger up the @ss of every other country in the world is entirely another. I guess we will only learn after the military bankrupts the entire USA so we can play Globo-Cop. We are almost there. Just a couple more wars away. But then again stupid is as stupid does...
I think the solution would be to retrofit one of the Pharoah mummies so it could be electronically animated to similate movement and speech... and then The USA and Britain could feed it lines in Arabic and English to approximate whatever we in the West want it to say. Use a real puppet. A mummy Pharoah puppet. Assasination proof and maybe kind of cute.
The U.S. government is warning the Egyptian military not to steal the Egyptian elections when it is the only power able to stop the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood from coming to power. Doesn't Barack Obama know what a theocratic Muslim state is like when there is the example of Iran since 1979? And let's say that Iran acquires nuclear weapons, how long would it be before they attacked the nuclear state of Israel? A nuclear exchange between these two countries would send world oil prices skyrocketing.
The Egyptian military is carrying out their orders from Washington to usurp democracy at all costs. The United States government only supports fake and phony democracy as in it's latest US colony Iraq who's government has outlawed both Unions and Strikes by workers, now there is a great example of the type of fascist democracy the United States promotes and imposes on other nations.
The Egyptian military receives hundreds of millions of US tax dollars that mostly gets stuffed into the military leaders pockets, in return the military ensures the people of Egypt stay oppressed and in line with US policies.
Traders call me Melvin the Investor my investments have earned millions. A proposal to manufacture wool prayer rugs with sheepskin backings in Cairo and Damascus has been rejected. Authorities claim they cannot guarantee protection for my factories because I am an Infidel. Melvin’s Shekels will now be invested in China and India where infidels and their factories are welcome.