Egypt Military and Protesters Dig In for a Long Standoff

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Source: NYT

Egypt’s interim military rulers and the masses of protesters demanding their exit were dug in Friday for a prolonged standoff after the generals vowed to forge ahead with parliamentary elections despite a week of violence that is certain to tarnish the vote.

Government news organizations reported that at least one political party — the Social Democrats, perhaps the best established of the liberal parties founded in the burst of hope after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak nine months ago — would boycott the elections as a sham intended to prop up military rule.

By day’s end on Thursday, even the Muslim Brotherhood, the powerful Islamist group that stands to gain the most from early elections and that for the moment had stepped to the sidelines of the protests, appeared to distance itself from the military council.

As clashes with the security police stopped for the first time this week, the crowd in Tahrir Square grew larger on Thursday than the day before, reaching tens of thousands, and a broad spectrum of civilian leaders — excluding the Brotherhood — joined calls for a “million man march” on Friday.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/world/middleeast/egypt-military-and-protesters-standoff-in-tahrir-square.html?pagewanted=all

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Egyptian forces erected a barricade on Thursday bisecting the street in Cairo where most of this week's violence has occurred. (AP)

[dipsydoodle]

1. Egypt protests: Mass Friday rally ahead of election

Protesters in Cairo are gathering for another mass rally demanding that Egypt's military rulers step aside.

Large crowds have been taking part in Friday Prayers in the city's Tahrir Square, where protests have continued for a week.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15884523 25 November 2011 Last updated at 11:16 GMT includes video