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Egyptâ€™s Military Appoints New PM, Protests to Continue

04 March 2011 04:26 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Egyptian pro-democracy organizers say they are changing the theme of mass protests planned for Friday, now that a new prime minister has been appointed, APA reports quoting voanews.com website.
Former Transportation Minister Essam Sharaf was appointed prime minister Thursday by Egyptâ€™s military rulers.
Demonstrators said gatherings would still take place in Cairoâ€™s Tahrir Square to press for political and economic change in Egypt. But one of the largest groups , said Fridayâ€™s protest â€“ which had been dubbed a â€œDay of Determinationâ€ â€“ would be re-named a â€œDay of Celebration.â€
Youth organizers said the countryâ€™s new leadership would be allowed time to meet their other demands, including an end to the long-standing emergency law, the release of political prisoners and other reforms. Demonstrators said they will also continue to press for the removal of ministers with ties to the old regime of.
Thursdayâ€™s resignation of Ahmed Shafiq was a key demand of protesters involved in the 18-day uprising that led to ex-President Hosni Mubarakâ€™s resignation. Mr. Shafiq had been named prime minister shortly after massive anti-government protests began in late January. Mr. Mubarak stepped down on February 11, but several of his cabinet ministers retained their positions.
A military statement issued Thursday said leaders had asked Mr. Sharaf to form a caretaker government as the country makes the transition to civilian control.
Mr. Sharaf served in Mr. Mubarakâ€™s cabinet for 18 months in 2004 and 2005 and is viewed as one of the few officials with significant government experience but untainted by ties to the ousted regime.
The new prime minister endeared himself to pro-democracy youth groups by visiting them in Tahrir Square, the uprisingâ€™s epicenter. He had become one of their most popular candidates to replace Mr. Shafiq.
Activists have trickled into the central square all week, reviving the carnival atmosphere of the revolutionâ€™s early days. Tents of plastic, nylon and blankets have reappeared. By Thursday afternoon, the crowd had swelled to more than 1,000, with volunteers directing traffic and patting down new arrivals at makeshift checkpoints.
Leading pro-democracy activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei welcomed Mr. Shafiqâ€™s departure. He said on the social networking websiteTwitter Thursday the move signifies that Egypt is â€œon the right track.â€