“Legitimacy is not in Tahrir,” the military supporters in Cairo yelled. “O freedom, where are you? The people want the fall of Tahrir.”
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of protesters poured into Tahrir Square, the birthplace of what most are calling Egypt’s unfinished revolution. They rejected the appointment of Kamal el-Ganzouri, 78, who had served as prime minister during Hosni Mubarak’s presidency. He was asked to form a new cabinet to replace the caretaker government that resigned this week amid deadly clashes between security forces and rock-throwing demonstrators.
The military chiefs chose Ganzouri after holding intensive discussions with more prominent figures such as Amr Moussa, the former Arab League chief, and Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who formerly headed the International Atomic Energy Agency. Both turned down the job after demanding broad powers, according to political figures briefed on the meetings.
In Washington, the White House called Friday for the new government to be “empowered with real authority immediately” and for elections to go ahead “expeditiously,” leading to a full transfer of power to a civilian government. The U.S. administration has been hesitant to fully support protesters against the Egyptian military, an institution that receives billions of dollars in U.S. aid.
“The U.S. talks about democracy and justice, but on the ground they don’t support it,” said Mohammed Kenawi, a doctor in Tahrir Square. “The U.S. is only worried about their little child, Israel.” Kenawi said he had not slept in days as he treated patients who lost eyes from birdshot or choked on tear gas, and fended off an attack on the field hospital over the weekend.
Aiming to prevent Ganzouri from entering the cabinet building, hundreds marched to the site and started erecting tents. Revolutionary youth movements declared ElBaradei the head of a “national salvation government.” ElBaradei prayed in Tahrir Square on Friday with the protesters.
After a week of bloodshed, the square was calm Friday, having regained its carnival-like atmosphere. Members of the country’s secular elite were among the throng of sympathizers who joined the hard-core demonstrators, many of whom view Tahrir as a battleground they need to hold.
The only bangs were firecrackers during the demonstration, which organizers dubbed “last chance Friday.”
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