Post by Sammy on Apr 16, 2011 5:48:03 GMT -8
I had been following the protests in Egypt, it seems they squared it all away though. Im glad the people came out on top.
Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world, erupted in mass protests in January 2011, as the revolution in Tunisia inflamed decades worth of smoldering grievances against the heavy-handed rule of President Hosni Mubarak. After 18 days of angry protests and after losing of the support of the military and the United States, Mr. Mubarak resigned on Feb. 11, ending 30 years of autocratic rule. The military stepped forward and took power. It quickly suspended unpopular provisions of the constitution, even while cracking down on continuing demonstrations. On March 19, a set of constitutional amendments that pave the way for elections was overwhelmingly approved in a referendum that drew record numbers of voters. But anger over what many demonstraters saw as the military's loyalty to the core of Mr. Mubarak's government and the slow pace of change led to new mass protests and violence in April.
April 13 Egyptian authorities said the former president and his two sons were being detained for 15 days for questioning about corruption and the abuse of power during Mr. Mubarak’s three-decade rule.
April 11 Former President Mubarak spoke for the first time since being deposed in an audiotape, denying that he and his family had amassed wealth overseas and defending his honor and legacy. An Egyptian blogger was sentenced to three years in prison for criticizing the military in what human rights advocates called one of the more alarming violations of freedom of expression since the beginning of the revolution.
April 9 Egypt’s security forces shot and killed at least two protesters and injured dozens more in a predawn attempt to disperse peaceful demonstrators spending the night in the capital’s iconic Tahrir Square, according to government security officials and witnesses. The crackdown was the most brutal since the overthrow of former President Mubarak on Feb. 11 and since the military started running the country.
April 8 Tens of thousands gathered in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square, waving flags and demanding the prosecution of the ousted president, Hosni Mubarak, and his family in a sign of Egyptians’ growing anger with the slow pace of change under the new military rulers. The protest was being called the “Friday of Warning.” In government ministries, factories and especially universities, daily protests have focused on those viewed as Mr. Mubarak’s surrogates. Demonstrators complain that the dreaded secret police vetted every candidate for an important job under Mr. Mubarak, and that now the country deserves a clean slate.
March 31 Egypt's military rulers announced a new interim constitution replacing the one suspended when President Hosni Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11, incorporating the amendments approved by voters in the March 19 referendum. In addition the 18-member ruling council said it would hand over legislative powers after the parliamentary election in September 2011, and that executive powers would be transferred after the presidential election, which will be held by November.
March 29 The military command announced that parliamentary elections would not be held until September 2011, meeting the demands of opposition leaders who wanted more time to organize political parties. The presidential election, scheduled for August, was also postponed. The command also revealed that the ousted president, Hosni Mubarak, has been prohibited from leaving the country, and that it would soon lift the detested emergency law, among a number of announcements intended to shore up diminishing support for the armed forces council ruling the nation.
March 20 Egyptian voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum on constitutional changes that will usher in rapid elections, with the results underscoring the strength of established political organizations, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, and the weakness of emerging liberal groups. More than 14.1 million voters, or 77.2 percent, approved the constitutional amendments; 4 million, or 22.8 percent, voted against them. The turnout of 41 percent among the 45 million eligible voters broke all records for recent elections, according to the Egyptian government.
