From the AP:
Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak resigned as president and handed control to the military on Friday, bowing down after a historic 18-day wave of pro-democracy demonstrations by hundreds of thousands.
A massive crowd in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square exploded into joy, waving Egyptian flags, and car horns and celebratory shots in the air were heard around the city of 18 million in joy after Vice President Omar Suleiman made the announcement on national TV just after nightfall.
“In these grave circumstances that the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave his position as president of the republic,” a grim-looking Suleiman said. “He has mandated the Armed Forces Supreme Council to run the state. God is our protector and succor.”
The good news is the military is in control and they do not want a theocracy.
The military is very close to the US and want to keep the treaty with Israel in place. They do not want a theocracy and therefore would be strongly opposed to a MB take over.
Mubarak is 82 years old and his time was coming to an end regardless. He had planned to see his son take his place and was preparing for that. The military didn’t want this. There are some in the intelligence field who wouldn’t be surprised if the military might have been somehow involved in helping start the protest… but that’s just a theory.
Realize the Egyptians have no real experience with democratic rule. They weren’t raised learning about Jefferson, Adams, Madison and cannot tell you the difference between a democracy and a republic… come to think of it many Americans today probably couldn’t either but even those have more experience with democracy than the average Egyptian.
There are no real organized parties or candidates with governing philosophies in place and this is why this situation is so ripe for jihadist and radicals to move in and try and gain prominence.
The Muslim Brotherhood is very organized with branches throughout Egypt and the Middle East. The MB say they do not want to rule but do want a place at the table. They want to be involved in the governance and they are very patient. Sharia and a Caliphate is their ultimate goal so with whatever involvement they gain it is only natural to assume they would be lobbying toward that end.
The important thing is the military is now in control and will remain so until the elections.
What is needed now is time. The elections must not be rushed. Time is needed for the Egyptians to come together and find legitimate candidates.
Time will tell.
Related articles
- VIDEO: Egypt’s Mubarak resigns as leader (bbc.co.uk)
