CAIRO — The popular uprising in Egypt triumphed Friday as President Hosni Mubarak surrendered to the will of a leaderless revolution and stepped down after 30 years of autocratic rule over the Arab world’s most populous nation.
Mubarak became the second Arab leader in a month to succumb to his people’s powerful thirst for freedom. His resignation sparked joyful pandemonium in Cairo and across the country, but the next steps for Egypt were unclear as the armed forces took control and gave little hint of how they intended to govern.
For the moment, however, Egyptians were suffused with a sense that they had made world history, on par with chapters such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. In a region long devoid of democracy and stifled by repression, Egyptians celebrated with fireworks, a cacophony of horns and a sea of red-white-and-black Egyptian national flags.
“I feel Egyptian, like I am a new person,” said Mustafa Sayed, 52, among tens of thousands of protesters who marched to Mubarak’s presidential palace to demand that he leave. “I feel as though my handcuffed wrists and my sealed lips are now free.”
Mubarak’s abrupt abdication came 13 hours after the 82-year-old leader had appeared on national television to declare defiantly that, despite the swelling protests against his rule, he had no plans to quit. He left it to his handpicked vice president, Omar Sulei- man, to announce his resignation. Mubarak and his wife, Suzanne, then departed Cairo aboard a plane, apparently bound for internal exile in the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh.
Although Egypt’s new military chiefs pledged to allow “free and honest” elections, it remained unclear how and whether power might be ceded to civilians, after six decades in which the army has been the country’s dominant force.
It was also unclear whether demonstrators’ success in winning Mubarak’s removal might be followed by a quest for retribution against the former president, his wealthy family or members of his notoriously brutal security services. A group of Egyptian lawyers said they would submit a complaint to the country’s attorney general seeking the prosecution of the Mubarak family on corruption charges.
But for at least one day, Egyptians were able to celebrate, backed by statements of support from around the world. “Egypt will never be the same,” President Barack Obama said at the White House. “And I know that a democratic Egypt can advance its role of responsible leadership in the region and the world.”
In Tahrir Square, the plaza in central Cairo where the protests began Jan. 25, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians jumped up and down, pumped their fists, waved their flags, hugged and cried. If the people were nervous about their nation’s uncertain future, they submerged their anxieties for the moment.
“I feel free,” shouted Nihal Shafiq, a 30-year-old film director. “This is a great moment, and it hit us by surprise. It is a new beginning for Egypt after 30 years of suffering.”
A united call
Angered by Mubarak’s refusal to resign Thursday night, Egyptians responded beginning early Friday with their biggest demonstrations yet. Ignoring fears that Mubarak might order a brutal crackdown, people of all ages and classes gathered in central squares across the country and in unison demanded a change.
As they did, demonstrators made common cause with thousands of soldiers who had been deployed to maintain order but stood by and allowed Egyptians to express themselves peacefully.
The soldiers’ sympathies became clearer and clearer as Mubarak’s end drew near. In front of the presidential palace, soldiers draped memorial posters of martyred protesters over their tanks. Senior officers served juice and tea to the crowd.
Egypt’s military chiefs, who had pledged not to hinder the protests as long as they remained nonviolent, said they were taking political control reluctantly.
In a statement, they said they were “studying” what to do next but assured the people that “there is no alternative to the legitimacy you demand.” They also guaranteed “free and honest” elections, without specifying when they would be held or under what conditions.
Army was handed power
The armed forces are led by Defense Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, 75, and the military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Sami Enan. Neither spoke publicly during the 18 days of the revolution. It is unclear how much power they will reserve for themselves or if they will hand over authority to a transitional government.
Also unclear was the fate of Sulei man, a former general and chief of Egyptian intelligence until he was appointed as vice president by Mubarak last month in an early concession that failed to stifle the protests.
Nabil Fahmy, Egypt’s former ambassador to the United States, said there was no evidence that the military had carried out a coup.
“The army did not take control,” he said. “They were handed this power, which suggests that this power is not in their ambition and they do not consider themselves to be an alternative.”
Fahmy and other members of Egypt’s civilian elite have called for the creation of a temporary government of national unity, or a small council that would oversee the transition until elections can be held.
“It is difficult to predict exactly how things will turn out, for after all this is a completely new situation that we have not experienced before,” he said. “There will be a lot of details and negotiations through a complicated process that will require time and the inclusion of all, which is something that we have not done effectively in the past.”
Essam el-Erian, a leader of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood movement, banned under Mubarak, called for the chief of Egypt’s constitutional court to oversee a transition to new elections and civilian rule.
Some protest organizers said the demonstrations in Tahrir Square would continue, albeit on a smaller scale, until the military agrees to formal negotiations. Others expressed optimism that the army would agree to their terms.
Positions of power
Key leaders in the Egyptian armed forces:
Defense Minister Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi: Born Oct. 31, 1935; held numerous infantry command positions and has a master’s degree in military science; also served as military attache to Pakistan and commander of Egypt’s Presidential Guard. His combat service included the wars in 1956, 1967 and 1973.
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Sami Hafez Enan: Born in February 1948; commanded Egypt’s air defense forces and served as defense attache to Morocco; combat service includes the 1973 war with Israel.
Air force commander Lt. Gen. Reda Mahmoud Hafez Mohammed: Born March 3, 1952; military service included 1973 war; has flown fighter jets and has a master’s degree in military science; held numerous command posts and served as a liaison officer to the United States.
Naval forces commander Vice Adm. Mohab Mohammed Hussein Mamish: Born Aug. 6, 1948; holds a master’s degree in naval science; has trained in the United States.
Air defense commander Lt. Gen. Abdel-Aziz Seif el-Din: Born June 3, 1949; his commanded positions included leading an air defense missile brigade; served in the 1973 war.
The Associated Press
