Egypt’s ruling generals accused of buying time to stay in power

Military denies plan to shoehorn one of its own into presidency after unveiling 18-month timetable for transition to civilian rule Egypt’s ruling military generals have unveiled plans that could see them retain power for another 18 months, increasing fears that the country’s democratic transition process is under threat. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) took control of Egypt after the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak in February, and initially promised to return to their barracks within six months. But since then the “roadmap” to an elected, civilian government has been beset by delays and controversies, fuelling speculation that the army could be buying time in an attempt to shoehorn one of their own senior commanders into the presidency. This week Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi denied that any candidates would emerge from the country’s powerful military establishment. “These are only rumours and we shouldn’t waste time talking about rumours,” said Egypt’s current de facto ruler, who provoked a frenzy of media coverage when he made an unprecedented appearance in civilian clothing on a Cairo street recently – a move many analysts described as a carefully orchestrated political stunt. “The armed forces have no interest in staying in power for a long time,” he claimed on Thursday. However, he added, “we will not leave Egypt until we have fulfilled all we promised and do our duty towards the people.” Amid growing unease at SCAF policies, which have included a reintroduction of Mubarak-era emergency laws, the persistent use of military tribunals against civilians, and stringent crackdowns on public protest and freedom of speech, the generals have now finally unveiled an explicit timetable for transition. Elections to the upper and lower houses of Egypt’s parliament are set to begin in November and will be staggered across several months, with the new chambers coming together to form a provisional constitutional assembly in March or April next year. According to the military’s schedule the subsequent writing of a new constitution, followed by a national referendum, means that presidential elections will probably not be held until well in 2013 – with SCAF likely to continue ruling the country until then. The decision has split political parties, many of which had been mulling a boycott of the upcoming parliamentary elections due to disagreements over electoral procedure. Some critics accused SCAF of designing the poll in such a way as to allow remnants of the Mubarak regime to gain a strong showing in the final ballot; the military council has now amended the law to assuage some of the parties’ concerns, but bitter divisions remain over exactly how to proceed. The Muslim Brotherhood and several presidential hopefuls, including the former Arab League chief Amr Moussa and the Islamist intellectual Mohammad Salim al-Awa, have called for a much quicker handover to civilian rule. A number of youth-led coalitions, comprised of revolutionaries who helped lead the anti-Mubarak uprising earlier this year, have also complained of being shut out of the political process and have condemned the traditional parties for striking back-room deals with SCAF. Egypt Middle East Africa Arab and Middle East unrest Hosni Mubarak Jack Shenker guardian.co.uk

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