Cairo: a demonstration against extension, inheritance of authority
Egypt, Politics, 12/13/2004

Some 1000 Egyptian activists in Cairo yesterday demonstrated in protest of nominating the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for a new term of office in 2005 and nominating his son Jamal. This was expressed in the first and largest protest of its kind since Mubarak assumed presidency in 1981.

The demonstration was organized by the Egyptian movement for change and the people's movement for change which is mostly from the banned Muslim Brothers group on the occasion of the International Day For Human Rights. It is noted that most of the participants in the sit-in are from the Leftist and Naserite trend.

The demonstrators who were cordoned all the time by the security forces started in front of the higher "judiciary house" which includes courts carrying banners on which were written "enough" and "no to inheritance, no to extension for a fifth term of office" amd "no for Mubarak, his son and party."

The opposition journalist and spokesman for the Egyptian movement for change Abdul Halim Qindil said "Mubarak has been in power so far for 24 years and it is intended to extend for him until 30 years and it is also wanted the Father President to be succeeded by his son maybe for other 30 years. The matter is not only a political tyranny.. The greater problem is the deterioration resulted from political recession.. we want to give people their due right to make a mistake and choose what they like."

The Egyptian narrator and women activist Nawal Sadwai who announced last week her nomination for the presidential elections said "I am happy because I see one thousand men and women at least who were brave enough to get into the streets and say no for inheritance, no for extension, no for dictatorship and repression." Sadwai ( 73 year old) admitted that it is impossible to win the elections. She said "I want my nomination to create controversy the same do my works with the aim to push towards amending the constitution."

After the end of the March, the Egyptian security forces cordoned the "socialist studies center" where a seminar for change was being held, according to the director of the center Kamal Khalil before it withdrew later. Khalil said that hundreds of riot fighting police men and 8 police trucks and one armored vehicle were positioned in front of the center. Khalil, one of the few who talked during the demonstration said "I am not scared.. it is a tyrant country, I do not care if they arrest me, I will continue defending my principles even if I am besieged by one million tanks," noting that he was detained more than 15 times since 1968.

Previous Stories:
  Mubarak-Bashir summit reviews developments in Darfur   (12/11/2004)
  NDP holds opposition parties conference next month   (12/11/2004)
  Egypt bans by sticks, water a convoy of aid to Rafah includes Europeans and American human rights advocates   (12/11/2004)
  Mubarak's talks in Bahrain to cover arrangements for next Arab summit   (12/8/2004)
  Government policy statement includes realistic programs to enable low-income brackets afford living costs   (12/4/2004)
  Nazif vows to achieve economic reform in two years   (12/3/2004)

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