Protests planned for anniversary of Mubarak's fall

As Egypt marks one year since the fall of former strongman Hosni Mubarak, many are planning protests against the ruling military council. Activists say the military has failed the revolution they once protected.

By FRANCE 24 (text)

Egyptians are set to mark the first anniversary of the fall of former president Hosni Mubarak Saturday, who ruled the country with an iron fist for 30 years before an uprising last year abruptly brought down the regime.

However, one year after Mubarak’s departure, many Egyptians continue to protest daily against the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which replaced the deposed leader.

For the anniversary of Mubarak’s departure, activists are planning mass demonstrations and a general strike, insisting that their revolution is far from over. Protesters in Tahrir Square said they were unsatisfied with the army’s unchecked grip on power.

In January, military rulers formally announced that they were transferring legislative powers to a newly elected parliament, but would not fully step down until presidential elections are held in June.

Demonstrators who once praised the military for embracing the revolution have since slammed it for failing to provide political transparency and have accused them of seeking to retain a degree of power.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei, one of the Egypt’s leading opposition voices, said in January that he was pulling out of the presidential race because of the military council’s “mismanagement” of the democratic transition.