Tens of thousands of Egyptians demanding an end to military rule converged on Cairo's Tahrir square today in what activists say will be the biggest day yet in a week of demonstrations in which 41 people have been killed.
The military men who took over after people power toppled president Hosni Mubarak on February 11th are themselves under fire from protesters who accuse them of clinging to power, leading to street battles that look like a replay of February's unrest.
The ruling army council named Kamal Ganzouri (78), who served as prime minister under Mubarak from 1996 to 1999, to head a national salvation government. Prime minister Essam Sharaf's cabinet had resigned this week amid the protests.
The United States, long a bedrock supporter of Egypt's military, called on the generals to step aside "as soon as possible" and give real power to the new cabinet "immediately."
The military rulers say they are working on a transition of power, including parliamentary elections set for Monday, which could be overshadowed if violence continues. Some protesters say the army cannot be trusted to hold a clean vote.
Voting in each phase of the country's three-stage parliamentary election will be held over two days instead of one, Egypt's ruling military council decided today.
The decision aims to avoid "overcrowding and security issues" in polling stations during
Egypt's first free parliamentary ballot in living memory, an Interior Ministry source told Reuters.
"Those who cannot vote on the first day can do so on the next," the source told Reuters.
Speaking by telephone shortly after his appointment was announced, Mr Ganzouri declined to reveal details of his new cabinet. "Everything will be outlined later," he said.
After his appointment was confirmed, crowds in Tahrir Square chanted: "They brought a thief and appointed another thief," referring to Mr Sharaf and Mr Ganzouri.
"Say without fear: the (army) council must leave," they shouted.
Activists sought to bring a million people into the streets of Cairo on what they dubbed "the Friday of the last chance."
Thousands flooded into Tahrir Square for prayers, where Sheikh Mazhar Shahin told worshippers the protest would go on until Egypt had a new salvation government.
Protesters said they expected the crowd to continue to grow in the afternoon. Friday, the weekly Muslim prayer day, has traditionally been the biggest day of demonstrations in the "Arab Spring" protests sweeping the Middle East this year.
"We are all for the revolution and stand steadfast for the demands of the revolution. There is no conflict between us and the army," the cleric said in an address over loudspeakers.
Until a truce calmed violence yesterday, streets around Tahrir had become battle zones with stone-throwing protesters fighting police armed with tear gas, pellets and rubber bullets.
A steady stream of men, women and children surged into Tahrir before today’s prayers. Some, like Atef Sayed (45) with his wife and two daughters, were protesting for the first time.
"We're here to back the idea that the military council hands responsibility to civilians and focuses on military affairs. Nine months have gone by with many things that have happened in a way opposite to what the revolutionaries wanted," he said.
But enthusiasm for the protests was not universal.
About 5,000 people waving Egyptian flags demonstrated in favour of the military rulers in Cairo's Abbassiya district.
"The people want the emptying of the square," shouted the demonstrators. A big banner read: "Egypt will not be governed from Tahrir square."
Activists who tried to organise a march to Tahrir from a mosque in the capital's Shubra neighbourhood were rebuffed.
The White House stepped up pressure on Egypt's military rulers to speed up the handover to civilian control.
"Full transfer of power to a civilian government must take place in a just and inclusive manner that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people, as soon as possible," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.
"The United States strongly believes that the new Egyptian government must be empowered with real authority immediately."
The European Union today condemned "excessive violence" in Egypt's handling of the protesters seeking an end to military rule and urged Cairo to move quickly towards a civilian government.
"The European Union is deeply concerned about the critical situation in Egypt and condemns the excessive violence committed by the Egyptian authorities against the population," EU foreign policy spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told a regular news briefing.
"We urge a swift handover to civilian government and underline the need for democratic transition to be transparent, fair and accountable. The elections must respect the timetable that was announced."
Reuters