http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201121125158705862.html
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has resigned from his post, handing over power to the armed forces.
Omar Suleiman, the vice-president, announced in a televised address that the president was "waiving" his office, and had handed over authority to the Supreme Council of the armed forces.
Suleiman's short statement was received with a roar of approval and by celebratory chanting and flag-waving from a crowd of hundreds of thousands in Cairo's Tahrir Square, as well by pro-democracy campaigners who attended protests across the country on Friday.
The crowd in Tahrir chanted "We have brought down the regime", while many were seen crying, cheering and embracing one another.
Mohamed ElBaradei, an opposition leader, hailed the moment as being the "greatest day of my life", in comments to the Associated Press news agency.
"The country has been liberated after decades of repression,'' he said.
"Tonight, after all of these weeks of frustration, of violence, of intimidation ... today the people of Egypt undoubtedly [feel they] have been heard, not only by the president, but by people all around the world," our correspondent at Tahrir Square reported, following the announcement.
"The sense of euphoria is simply indescribable," our correspondent at Mubarak's Heliopolis presidential palace, where at least ten thousand pro-democracy activists had gathered, said.
"I have waited, I have worked all my adult life to see the power of the people come to the fore and show itself. I am speechless." Dina Magdi, a pro-democracy campaigner in Tahrir Square told Al Jazeera.
"The moment is not only about Mubarak stepping down, it is also about people's power to bring about the change that no-one ... thought possible."
In Alexandria, Egypt's second city, our correspondent described an "explosion of emotion". He said that hundreds of thousands were celebrating in the streets.
Pro-democracy activists in the Egyptian capital and elsewhere had earlier marched on presidential palaces, state television buildings and other government installations on Friday, the 18th consecutive day of protests.
This is fantastic news!! It looks like the army told Mubarak that they would not support him. It was great to see the Egyptian military side with the people instead of helping to keep a dictator in power. This is how the military should behave, it is just not very common to see it in the middle east. It looks like the military gave Mubarak two choices, step down willingly or by ousted by a military coup. Knowing the damage that a military coup would do to Egypt and how it would be viewed by the rest of the world, he finally decided to step down. Based on what we have heard from him so far, Suleiman is not my idea of a good leader. Luckily the Egyptian constitution calls for new election within 60 days if the president steps down so the Egyptian people will get to pick their new leader very soon. From everything I have read and heard, I hope that Mohammed elBaradei is elected their new president. He is a very progressive person who wants peace and has a very secular view as to how the country should be governed. I think that with elBaradei as their leader, Egypt can become a leader in the middle east and possibly even in the world in general.
ReplyDeleteI hope that the transition can be accomplished without to much havoc and that the Egyptians can finally have open and fair elections so they can select the leader they want. It is generally accepted that the last election that kept Mubarak in power was rigged. Hopefully Egypt will allow international election monitors in so that there will be no questions about the legitimacy of the new leader they elect. Hopefully Egypt can serve as an example to the rest of the middle east on how to effect change in leadership without large scale violence and bloodshed.