TENS OF THOUSANDS of Egyptians have poured into Cairo’s Tahrir square in protest against what they believe are attempts by the ccountry’s military to reinforce their powers.
Controversial constitutional changes brought in by the military council has caused many to fear that the military is attempting to tighten its grip on power, following the fall of the country’s long-time president Hosni Mubarak last February.
Critics of the changes claim that the wording will ultimately give the military the final say on policies – even if a new president is in place, according to the BBC.
Al Jazeera reports that the document has been decried by a wide spectrum of people across the poltical divide – from liberals to ultraconservative Islamists. Anan Zuhairi, a 26-year-old doctor, is quoted as saying: “Nothing we revolted for has happened. Emergency law is still not canceled. People are being taken out of their homes. Our demands have remained the same except they’ve become more.”
Protests also took place the port city of Alexandria, the Guardian reports.
Parliamentary elections are due to take place in the country later this month.
While most of the demonstrations taking place in Egypt recently have been organised by liberal or left-wing groups, today’s protest was run by the Muslim Brotherhood. One member of the Brotherhood, 28-year-old Hani Hegazi, told Time magazine:
“The army has no role in ruling people. Its only job is to protect the country. We want civilian rule chosen through democracy.”
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