•  doha
• Friday, November 25, 2011
• Inter Press Service

Egypt's ruling military council has reportedly asked a former prime minister, Kamal al-Ganzouri, to form a new cabinet. But there are no signs of a let-up in the anti-military demonstrations.

Ganzouri headed the government from 1996 to 1999, under the deposed president, Hosni Mubarak (1981-2011). The state newspaper Al-Ahram said on its website, quoting sources close to Ganzouri, that he had agreed in principle to lead a national government after his meeting with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

The military council earlier accepted the resignation of caretaker prime minister Essam Sharaf's cabinet, amid continued unrest in Cairo and other major cities. After the popular uprisings earlier this year, Ganzouri distanced himself from Mubarak in a television interview, prompting several Facebook pages to recommend him as a future presidential candidate.

Born in 1933, Ganzuri served as minister of planning and international co-operation before his first tenure as prime minister. He then made a name for himself by working to strengthen ties between Egypt and the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The apparent appointment of a new prime minister followed an apology by the SCAF for the deaths of demonstrators and a promise to hold elections on time, despite a push from activists and some political parties to postpone them.

Thursday's apology came amid a tense calm across the country following nearly a week of street battles that has left 38 people dead and more than 3,000 wounded. The SCAF 'presents its regrets and deep apologies for the deaths of martyrs from among Egypt's loyal sons during the recent events in Tahrir Square,' it said on Thursday in a statement on its Facebook page.

Al Jazeera's Malika Bilal, reporting from Cairo, said 'the army is out in relative force to enforce the peace ... the centre of Tahrir Square is peaceful. Protesters have begun cleaning up.' The army also called on 'honourable citizens' to protect the square, separate the protesters from interior ministry riot police and arrest those who are found suspicious, raising concerns among some that the announcement had given license for street violence.

The SCAF's announcement and increasing reports of arrests and violence against local and international journalists has created a tense atmosphere in Cairo, with protesters calling for another 'million-man' march on Friday, a day when protest crowds in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East typically mass for major demonstrations. The military also began asserting a firmer street presence on Thursday, promising to help police secure the country during the voting and erecting a two-metre-tall concrete barricade on Mohamed Mahmoud Street.

The street leads towards the interior ministry and has been the focal point of violence between riot police and crowds of young men. Clashes between protesters and security forces first erupted on Saturday, days before the first phase of parliamentary elections scheduled to begin on Monday - casting the country's political future into question. But Mamdouh Shahin, a major-general on the military council, said in a news conference on Thursday that election plans would continue as planned.

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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