Thousands of people waved Egyptian flags and roared, "Get out! Get out!" in Cairo's Tahrir Square as President Hosni Mubarak said late Thursday he was delegating power to his vice president and made no mention of stepping down.
"I don't know if he has a brain or if his brain is elsewhere," one protester in the square said, expressing frustration that Mubarak appeared to be saying that he enjoyed support from most Egyptians.
Watching Mubarak's address on what appeared to be a sheet hoisted over the square, the crowd became angry as they heard Mubarak say he would "delegate powers" to Vice President Omar Suleiman but did not mention leaving office. They broke into cries of, "Illegitimate!" and "Mubarak the coward must stand down."
After the statement, parliamentary speaker Ahmed Fathi Srour told Nile TV that Mubarak's move had put the authority for the day-to-day running of the government in Suleiman's hands. That would include oversight of the police, the interior ministry and other key agencies, as well as control of economic policy and running any negotiations with opposition figures.
Srour added that the constitution specifically prohibits the president from delegating certain key powers to the vice president, including the power to dismiss parliament or dismiss the government and the power to ask for amendments to the constitution.
FULL STORY
mubarak ...game is over who is next??????
It comes as no surprise. When has any dictator just stepped aside. So approximately 1 million protesters, of a population of 80 million people, shout for Mubarak to leave now. Considering the U.S. population is 310 million, what would happen if 1 million republicans and tea partiers marched on Washington and shouted for Obummer to get out? The same thing. Same boss as the old boss. New day same as old day. I hope a peaceful transition of power takes place rather than a violent insurrection and civil war.
mobarek will paralyze Egypt before leave .... 🙁
How can restoring order be a paralysis? It's the radicals that are doing the paralysis.
@MikeBell: so those who stand up for democracy and freedom are radicals? Consider me a radical then.
The longer the protest continue the more powerful the Muslim Brotherhood becomes in Egypt. The youth that believe that this will end in more freedom for them and their sisters will be sorely disappointed.
The Coptic Christians will discover that they have been played by the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Christians will be persecuted more under a new Islamic state in Egypt. The radical jihadists have already showed their true colors by burning churches and synagogues in the past in Egypt. They are waiting to do it again.
It is always a good idea to get your facts straight before you start typing, or talking.
Hate to tell you folks, "There will be blood". It's just the beginning. We should stay the hell out of there and get into our bunkers.
Sitting on your throne as the pagan ruler
With your servants carrying all the weight
This man who come and speak false amongst the people
Lead them to go astray
Hey Mubarak! You can come hide with me in the cave's of Afganistan.
Bin Laden beens hiding in the pyramids of Egypt.
Firstly, negotiating, instead of demanding unconditional removal, while you have the initiative is just a sign of protesters’ weakness and that’s how Mubarak is reading it. That’s why he is not resigning. The only way to remove the Mubarak regime is not to show any signs of lessening the demand for unconditional removal and even increasing the demands. This practically means larger and larger protests (i.e. millions and tens of millions of people) and march right on presidential palace and national TV to basically “scare” Mubarak out.
Secondly, I just hope Egyptians will not be fooled into believing that Suleiman is any different than Mubarak except on the surface. He was a part of the same regime for decades and was appointed by Mubarak. What do you think, Mubarak would appoint someone who was against him or someone who was with him? The only way to get rid of the dictatorship is to remove Mubarak immediately and ALL OF HIS ACCOMPLICES including Suleiman.
YYYThis guy is delusional and does not understand that people are sick of him and want him out. The only way to remove him is to march on the presidential palace and national TV and physically remove his communication capacity and the dictator himself.YYY
Mubarak needs to let me come in and fix everything for him. Just so as long I get on T.V. and in the lime light
Holy Crap buddy. You're going to put your country through all kinds of strife just to save face for a few months? What a pathetic piece of US supported and funded trash!
Do you think that Obama has the balls to freeze the foreign aid to Egypt? Mubarek is also putting the President on the spot.
Gotta keep the Suez Canal open for trade and out of the Jihadists hands.
The price of oil will go sky high and you will pay $10.00 per gallon if the Suez Canal closes.
Now would be a good time to open up U.S. off-shore oil drilling.
This would be a better story if Lindsay Lohan replaces him as president
"Go back to work" ....what do you think protests are? they are work. the work these people have been undertaking no longer brought rewards. These are probably the most serious non-violent protesters in history. Why would they demand change if change was not needed?
The Egyptian government does not want to consider humility. How many people need to say NO before change comes?
Mubarak the people are not your servants either.
now's the time for all good people of conscience to stand with those who cry out for freedom ... ESPECIALLY AMERICANS ... let's walk the walk ... and Mr. President, if you are who I believed you were when I voted for you, please do what's right ... clearly and unequivocally ... tell Mr Mubarak and his regime to step down immediately or the U.S. will withdraw further support until he does ...please remember it is Americans and our taxes that do so ... I for one do not want tghe taxes for my work to support such a dictator and his regime ...