Mubarak Refuses to Step Down

EGYPT TV via APTN, via Associated Press

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak made a televised statement on Thursday. More Photos »
By ANTHONY SHADID AND DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: February 10, 2011

CAIRO — President Hosni Mubarak told the Egyptian people Thursday that he would delegate more authority to his vice president, Omar Suleiman, but that he would not resign his post, contradicting earlier reports that he would step aside and surprising hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered to hail his departure from the political scene.
In a nationally televised address following a tumultuous day of political rumors and conflicting reports, Mr. Mubarak said he would “admit mistakes” and honor the sacrifices of young people killed in the three-week uprising, but that he would continue to “shoulder my responsibilities” until September, and did not give a firm indication that he would cede political power.

Mr. Suleiman, speaking a few minutes after President Mubarak, urged the crowds in Tahrir Square to go home. “Heroes. Go home, go back to work. The nation needs you to build, develop and create.”

Even as Mr. Mubarak spoke, huge crowds in Cairo who had anticipated his resignation shouted angry chants when they were confronted with a plea from the president to support continued rule by him and his chosen aides. The mood, celebratory throughout the day, suddenly turned grim. Protesters waved their shoes in defiance, considered a deeply insulting gesture in the Arab world, and began streaming from the square saying they would march against state TV.

Mr. Mubarak said the process of political change initiated by his administration, including a dialogue with opposition groups, would not be reversed. But he signaled no imminent transfer of power and blamed foreigners for seeking to interfere in Egypt’s affairs.

“We will not accept or listen to any foreign interventions or dictations,” Mr. Mubarak said, implying that pressure to resign came from abroad rather than from the masses of people demanding his ouster throughout his country.

His statement marked the latest twist and turn in a raucous uprising. Earlier in the day, the Egyptian military appeared poised to assert itself as the leading force in the country’s politics, declaring on state television that it would take measures “to maintain the homeland and the achievements and the aspirations of the great people of Egypt” and meet the demands of the protesters who have insisted on ending Mr. Mubarak’s 30-year rule.

Mr. Mubarak made no reference to the military in his speech, and it was unclear what the military’s earlier announcement had meant.

Several government officials said during the day that Mr. Mubarak was expected to announce his own resignation and pass authority to Mr. Suleiman, although the country’s information minister proved prescient by insisting the president was not stepping down.

Before Mr. Mubarak spoke, President Obama, in an appearance at Northern Michigan University, in Marquette, Mich., said that “We are witnessing history unfold,” and that “America will do everything we can to support an orderly and genuine transition to democracy.”

Throughout the day on Thursday, support seemed to be crumbling for Mr. Mubarak within his own party and government. Hossam Badrawy, the newly appointed secretary-general of the ruling National Democratic Party, said Mr. Mubarak appeared to accept his call to peacefully transfer power to the vice president.

He said he hoped that Mr. Mubarak would not only step down, but that the country would move toward early elections so the “people can move to another era.”

He had called Mr. Mubarak “very accommodating.”

“I know it is difficult for him,” he said. But he added, “I think I convinced him to do that as soon as possible.”

Earlier in the day, the military’s chief of staff, Sami Anan, made an appearance in Tahrir Square, where he pledged to safeguard the people’s demands and their security. Thousands of protesters roared in approval, but they also chanted “Civilian! Civilian!”

Gen. Hassan al-Roueini, military commander for the Cairo area, also appeared in Tahrir Square and told the demonstrators, “All your demands will be met today.” Some in the crowd held up their hands in V-for-victory signs, shouting, “The people want the end of the regime” and “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great,” a victory cry used by secular and religious people alike.

Yet, officials in Mr. Mubarak’s government had been warning for several days that protesters faced a choice between negotiating in earnest with the government on constitutional changes or having the military step in to guard against a descent into political chaos. Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit seemed to add a further ominous tone to those comments on Thursday, telling Al Arabiya television, “If chaos occurs, the armed forces will intervene to control the country, a step which would lead to a very dangerous situation.”

For weeks, the protesters have hoped the military would intervene on their side, though it remained unclear whether the military would support democratic reforms that would threaten its status as the most powerful single institution in the country.

For much of its modern history, the military has played a powerful but behind-the-scenes role, reflecting its confidence that any government would protect its stature. Across the political spectrum, many wondered whether that posture had shifted after the military’s announcement.

“We’re excited and nervous,” said Ahmed Sleem, an organizer with an opposition group led by Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel laureate. “If Mubarak and Suleiman leave, it would be a great thing. A six-month deadline for elections would be suitable.”

Asked about the possibility of a military takeover, he said he was not afraid. “We know how to force them to step down. We know the way to Tahrir Square.”

The overlapping statements by the military and civil authorities seemed to indicate a degree of confusion — or competing claims — about what kind of shift was underway, raising the possibility that competing forces did not necessarily see the power transfer the same way.


Reporting was contributed by Kareem Fahim, Liam Stack, Mona El-Naggar and Thanassis Cambanis from Cairo, Alan Cowell from Paris, Helene Cooper from Washington and Sheryl Stolberg from Marquette, Mich.