Over 39 political parties and groups joined Friday’s rally after negotiations broke down between Islamist groups and the cabinet over the constitutional proposal. AL ARABIYA – AGENCIES
Police clashed with protesters in Cairo on Saturday after dispersing a sit-in by people wounded during this year’s uprising. The official MENA news agency reported that police moved into Tahrir Square in the morning to break up the sit-in, which also included relatives of victims killed during the revolt that overthrew president Hosni Mubarak in February. An AFP correspondent reported clashes later between riot police and roughly 200 protesters, who flung whatever they could at policemen who beat them with sticks. A security official said police arrested several protesters. The sit-in, which had gone for some days, called for speedy trials of policemen and officials accused of involvement in the deadly crackdowns during the 18-day revolt that ousted Mubarak. Mubarak is on trial along with his former interior minister and security chiefs on charges of ordering the killings of some of the roughly 850 people killed during the uprising. The sit-in was joined on Friday by some tens of thousands of protesters who flooded the square to demand a quick transition to civilian rule. Over 39 political parties and groups joined Friday’s rally after negotiations broke down between Islamist groups and the cabinet over the constitutional proposal. The military, in charge since Mubarak’s resignation on February 11, says it will hand over power after a yet unscheduled presidential election. Protesters expressed their anger at a constitutional draft that Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Silmi showed to political groups earlier this month which would give the army exclusive authority over its internal affairs and budget. Egypt’s parliamentary elections, the first since Mubarak’s ouster and intended as the first significant step towards a civilian democratic system, are set to begin on Nov. 28. But it could be disrupted if political parties and the government fail to resolve the row over the constitutional proposal that would deny parliamentary oversight of the army, potentially allowing it to defy an elected government.
