Egypt’s military has dissolved Parliament and imposed martial law — but the steps are not being criticized widely since they are seen as the first steps in moving Egypt back to a more traditional model of democracy:
Egypt’s generals imposed martial law on Sunday, dissolving parliament and suspending the constitution, moves that many of the protesters who helped topple President Hosni Mubarak said were necessary to excise a rotten form of government.
The sweeping actions appeared to have their desired effect of calming the national mood. Under a celebratory facade, Egypt has remained on edge since Mubarak was forced to abdicate Friday, as uncertainty grew over the revolution’s next stages.
In a written communique, the Supreme Military Council, led by Field Marshal Mohammed Tantawi, said the military rule was temporary and would last until elections are held, possibly as soon as six months from now. A new set of guiding laws will be drafted by an appointed committee and made subject to a popular referendum, the military chiefs said.
The parliament disbanded by the military had been a rubber-stamp body dominated by ruling-party members who prevailed in rigged November elections. The constitution had also been skewed heavily in favor of Mubarak’s regime.
Opposition figures praised the moves as important first steps toward free elections but urged further measures to sweep away Mubarak’s old guard. Some expressed alarm at an aborted effort by the military early Sunday to clear Tahrir Square of remaining protesters. They also criticized a decision by the military rulers to leave Mubarak’s cabinet in place.“By no means can they concentrate on fixing the problems and investigating what happened under the former regime, because they are the ones responsible,” said Alaa al Aswany, an Egyptian novelist and democracy activist.
It remains far from clear how quickly elections might be held in Egypt.
Does this mean the crisis is basically over? The Financial Times’ Beyondbrics blog says no:
Investors hoping that Hosni Mubarak’s resignation as Egypt’s president might bring an early resolution of the country’s political crisis will be disappointed.
As ft.com reports Egypt’s military over the weekend has taken firmer control of the country – while reassuring protestors of its commitment to democratic transition. But elections won’t come for six months – so there will be plenty of time for the ebbs and flow of political uncertainty. And those planning to trade on the Cairo bourse must wait a few more days. the re-opening of the stock exchange has been delayed until Wednesday.
In its first significant move since Mubarak’s resignation on Friday, the supreme council of the military, now the ruler of the land, on Sunday set a timetable for the transition and said a committee would be appointed to examine constitutional amendments, report FT correspondents in Cairo. The move met some but not all of the demands of the protest movement
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Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.