Mubarak Resigns, Delegates Affairs to Army
MARGARET COKER, CHRISTOPHER RHOADS SAM DAGHER
President Hosni Mubarak succumbed to the demands of hundreds of thousands of his countrymen Friday and resigned from office, bringing to an end three decades of autocratic rule.
![[0211suleiman]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-MM611_0211su_D_20110211114433.jpg)
Associated Press In this photo taken from Egyptian television, Egypt's vice president Omar Suleiman announced that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down.
The announcement was delivered by Egypt's vice president, Omar Suleiman, in a brief statement on state television. Mr. Mubarak delegated control of the country's affairs to Egypt's army, Mr. Suleiman said.
"Because of the current circumstances in the country the president, Hosni Mubarak, has decided to step down, and the higher command of the army is taking control of the country," he said.
The streets around central Cairo's Tahrir Square erupted in jubilation, as demonstrators pulled over people driving by to listen to their radios to get the news. People hugged each other tearfully outside the state television building.
The resignation was the culmination of nearly three weeks of protests that rocked Egypt and send shudders through the region. It opens a period of uncertaintly, however, not only for Egypt, which will have to manage a period of military rule, but for countries like Saudi Arabia, Israel and the U.S., for whom Mr. Mubarak has formed a key anchor of their policies toward the Middle East.
President Barack Obama has been informed of Hosni Mubarak's decision to step down as Egyptian president and will speak to the public later about Mr. Mubarak's decision, the White House said Friday.
WSJ's Charles Levinson reports from Cairo on renewed unrest in the wake of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's declaration that he will transfer power to VP Suleiman but not physically leave office.
Charles Levinson has the latest from Cairo where protesters are reacting to President Mubarak's decision to remain in power. John Bussey and Robert Danin look at what's next for Egypt and U.S. relations with that country.
The European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said that, by standing down, Mubarak "has listened to the voices of the Egyptian people and has opened the way to faster and deeper reforms," The Associated Press reported. Ashton said that "it is important now that the dialogue is accelerated leading to a broad-based government."
Israeli analysts remain concerned about possible new threats to the country's security amid unrest in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East. Special correspondent Martin Himel reports from Tel Aviv.
Protesters, angered by a televised speech late Thursday in which Mr. Mubarak disappointed expectations of a resignation, showed their strength by drawing massive crowds for an 18th day of demonstrations.
Early Friday, protesters filled Tahrir Square and spread their encampments to the state television building and the presidential palace. Both sites were heavily guarded, but the army didn't try to stop the marches and even tossed protesters food and let them climb on their tanks.
"I'm the happiest person in the world right now," said Gouda El Sayed, 22, a civil engineering student, as he danced under a massive Egyptian flag unfurled by revelers. "In seven years, I swear, we will be among the greatest nations on earth. We are going to clean it up. We've shown our will is strong."
Outside the presidential palace 10 kilometers away in Heliopolis, women wailed in the streets, tears flowing from their eyes, their arms in the air.
"Now our revolution is complete," said Ali Aboutera, a 26-year-old computer programmer who spent the day in front of the palace with a crowd that swelled to more than 20,000 as darkness fell. "A few hours ago, it was incomplete. But now we have achieved the Egyptian dream."
Earlier in the afternoon, two large brown military helicopters flew out of the compound, banking over the crowd and prompting cheers--and speculation that the helicopters carried President Mubarak and his entourage out of the city.
Egypt's Strongman
Take a look back at Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's career.
Photos: Friday's Protests
![[SB10001424052748703786804576137770913348778]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-MM553_0211eg_D_20110211092651.jpg)
Protesters chanted slogans antigovernment slogans after Friday prayers inside Tahrir Square in Cairo.
The AP reported earlier in the day that Mr. Mubarak had decamped to his residence in Sharm al-Sheik, a resort town at the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula.
Mr. Aboutera predicted that the winds of change that swept from Tunisia through Egypt will now move to other stagnating regimes elsewhere in the Arab world.
"I think within the year, the rest of the Arab leaders will be replaced by democratically elected governments," he said. "This can't be stopped."
Earlier Friday, Egypt's powerful armed forces backed the handoff of power from President Hosni Mubarak to his vice president and pledged to ensure the transition to free elections.
The statement by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, read on state television by a TV presenter, appeared to be aimed at mollifying protesters' concerns that the regime can't be trusted to carry out the promised reforms.
"We stay committed to the people's demands and to ensure that they are realized, and to the peaceful transition of power," the military's statement said.
The assertion of authority by the army drew praise from leaders of the youth movements who sparked the uprising with an Internet organizational campaign and careful plotting of early street protests.
"We have confidence in our army, and we are happy with the latest Armed Forces statement," the activists said in comments posted on an anti-regime website signed by Google Inc. executive Wael Ghonim and five others.
They asked the army to be even more clear about its plans and the timetable for reform, "due to the lack of confidence between the people and the current regime."
WSJ's Tamer El-Ghobashy reports from the streets of Cairo on demonstrations expanded beyond Tahrir Square, and that government workers are striking in opposition to president Mubarak refusing to step down.
Hosni Mubarak surprised many when he announced late today he would not step down as Egypt's President until elections in September. Tamer El-Ghobashy has reaction from Cairo's Tahrir Square. John Bussey and Jerry Seib have analysis of the situation.
Billionaire businessman Naguib Sawiris, who has been mediating between the youth movements and the government, said the regime is scrambling to recover from a terrible performance on Thursday, but he didn't believe there were any serious cracks between the military and civilian leadership about the transfer of power to Mr. Suleiman.
Mr. Sawiris says that the misunderstanding about what Mr. Mubarak was planning to do yesterday stemmed from leaks from people close to the president. The president compounded the problem with an "awful" speech that buried the point Mr. Mubarak had ceded his powers to the vice president.
"The speech was a disaster, but it doesn't matter," Mr. Sawiris said. "That he communicated badly yesterday doesn't matter today. The democratic process has started. That's what matters."
No comments:
Post a Comment