Egyptians Return to Tahrir Square to Protest

Egyptian demonstrators gathered together for a rally on Friday in the capital, Cairo, to urge the end of emergency laws and a demand a quicker transfer of power to a civilian administration.

Several thousand attended the rally under the banner of “Reclaiming the Revolution, so named by the activists, as general dissatisfaction mounts against the ruling military administration.

“The developments over the last six months have worried people who have lost faith in the military council and who might soon lose faith in Essam Sharaf. We've started to lose confidence in ourselves and the longer it drags on, the more one feels that nothing is happening. We are happy that what happened in Syria and Yemen did not happen here, but it could happen, these developments could lead us to a civil war," Sahar Afez, an artist, said.

Protesters also called for the re-implementation of a 1950’s law that punishes abuse of office, making it possible for remaining members of former president Hosni Mubarak’s regime to be convicted and barred from public office.

The military council recently announced November 28 as the date for parliamentary elections. The political system will be a mix of proportional representation and individual lists. Many political parties have expressed fears that the electoral laws paves the way for the return of Mubarak supporters.

On Thursday, six presidential hopefuls came together to demand the council set March as the deadline for transfer of power. Moreover, they said that the state of emergency should have ended on Friday. The military council however has said that it will remain until next year.

Speaker:

Sahar Afez - Artist

Voice:

Ikram al-Yacoub