Thousands in Cairo’s Tahrir ahead of new mass rally

Thousands of Egyptians streamed into Tahrir Square on Friday ahead of a new mass rally to demand the end of military rule, capping a week of protests and deadly clashes just days before the first polls since Hosni Mubarak’s ouster.


“Last Chance Friday… stability or chaos,” ran the headline of the flagship state-owned daily Al-Ahram.


The call for protest comes amid uncertainty over who will lead the next government; after privately-owned television channels reported that former premier Kamal al-Ganzuri had been given the job.


There was no immediate official confirmation but Al-Ahram said on its website that Ganzuri had agreed to lead a government of national salvation.


Ganzuri is an economist who served as prime minister under Mubarak from 1996 to 1999.


If confirmed, the move would mark the latest attempt by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to regain the initiative after days of deadly clashes between security forces and protesters since Saturday.


The violence, in which at least 41 protesters have been killed – 36 of them in Cairo – and more than 2,000 injured, led to the resignation of caretaker premier Essam Sharaf’s cabinet on Tuesday.


The call for new protests in Tahrir Square came despite an apology by the military rulers on Thursday for the deaths of protesters at the hands of police.