Clashes broke out again after Central Security Forces attacked thousands of protesters staging a sit-in outside of the Cabinet building to condemn the appointment of Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri. The SCAF announced on November 25 that each stage of the parliamentary elections will be held over two days instead of one to avoid "overcrowding and security issues." Meanwhile, the head of the High Electoral Commission revealed that the SCAF is considering postponing the first round of voting in Cairo and Alexandria, and ten of the judges commissioned to supervise the elections have decided to back out of their commitment, saying that elections should be delayed in light of the current unrest.
PROTESTS:
1) Clashes broke out again on the morning of November 26 after Central Security Forces attacked thousands of protesters staging a sit-in outside of the Cabinet building to condemn the appointment of Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri. One person was killed after being run over by a police van. The Interior Ministry said it had no intention of using violence to disperse the sit-in and offered condolences to the family of the victim. The ministry announced that an investigation into the incident will begin immediately. [al-Masry al-Youm, Arabic, 11/26/2011] [al-Ahram, English, 11/26/2011]
2) Violent clashes broke out in Alexandria’s Smouha district after protesters tried to break into the security directorate on November 25. After the assailants threw rocks at the building, police retaliated with tear gas and arrested at least 70 people. Human rights activist Tarek Radwan sends this dispatch from Alexandria. [EgyptSource, English, 11/25/2011] [al-Ahram, English, 11/26/2011]
3) In a sign of growing fatigue with ongoing protests in Tahrir Square, thousands of protesters staged a pro-military demonstration in Cairo’s Abbassiya district on November 25. Some analysts have described the SCAF’s core constituency as the silent majority or “Party of the Couch,” which has declined to participate in anti-government protests. [al-Ahram, English, 11/26/2011] [New York Times, English, 11/26/2011]
ELECTIONS:
4) Abdel Moaz Ibrahim, head of the High Electoral Commission, revealed that the SCAF is considering postponing the first round of voting in Cairo and Alexandria, although elections will start on time in other governorates. According to Ibrahim, ten of the judges commissioned to supervise the elections have decided to back out of their commitment, saying that elections should be delayed in light of the current unrest. [al-Ahram, English, 11/26/2011]
5) The SCAF announced on November 25 that each stage of Egypt’s three-round parliamentary elections will be held over two days, instead of one, starting on November 28. The decision aims to avoid "overcrowding and security issues" in polling stations, according to an Interior Ministry source. Run-offs for seats where no candidate wins a clear majority will be also be held over two days. [Reuters, English, 11/26/2011] [al-Dostor, Arabic, 11/25/2011]
NATIONAL SALVATION GOVERNMENT:
6) Mohamed ElBaradei reportedly met with members of the SCAF on the morning of November 26 to discuss the formation of a national salvation government, which protesters have nominated him to lead. [al-Youm al-Saba’a, Arabic, 11/26/2011]
7) Representatives of several protest movements announced the names of five individuals they have nominated to form a national salvation government. Led by Mohamed ElBaradei, the government would also include presidential candidates Hamdeen Sabahi, Abdul Moneim Aboul Fotouh, Ahram journalist Ahmed al-Naggar, and Judge Ashraf al-Baroudy. [al-Ahram, English, 11/26/2011]
8) Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri has urged protesters opposed to his appointment to give him a couple of months to fulfill all their demands. He was also quoted as saying, “Protests and sit-ins will make my mission harder.” Ganzouri began initial consultations on the formation of the new cabinet by meeting with seven representatives of youth movements protesting in Tahrir Square. [al-Ahram, English, 11/26/2011] [al-Shorouk, Arabic, 11/26/2011]
NEW PRIME MINISTER:
9) Protesters have been staging a sit-in outside of the Cabinet building to protest the appointment of Kamal Ganzouri as Prime Minister, claiming that he is too old to relate to the revolutionaries and too close to members of the former regime. Ganzouri, 78 years old, served as Mubarak’s prime minister from 1996 until 1999. An economist by training, he was credited with improving Egypt’s relations with the World Bank and IMF, and was also a proponent of privatization. During Ganzouri’s tenure, the poverty level in Egypt was reduced from 21 percent to 17 percent. [al-Ahram, English, 11/26/2011]
