[11:10 am EST]
Husni Mubarak steps down as President of Egypt after a 30-year reign, and power is transferred to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. It appears that Omar Suleiman, the recently appointed Vice President, will have no role in the emerging political formula, but details have not yet surfaced.
The implications are grand, for Egypt, and beyond. But the jubilation at this moment must be reserved for Egyptians who struggled for decades and brought the symbol of the Egyptian regime down in a matter of 18 days of protests around clock and country.
All reactionary forces inside and outside Egypt are on guard at this moment . . . as they should be. We will discuss those later. Also, much can go wrong in this transitional process, stripping the revolution of a good deal of its gains. The political game will now be transferred to the organization and institutional realm, where people power can play a role in the long term to the extent it is organized. One thing for certain: there is no foreseeable return to uncontested power. عقبال العايزين
[12:00 pm EST]
What to watch for in the coming days and weeks (a limited list for now):
- One indicator of where the Egyptian revolution is headed relates to the question of accountability: whether and how will former decision-makers be made accountable to their actions. Essentially, this will reveal a good deal about who is in power in Egypt and in what direction matters are going.
- How much time and what kind of opportunities will be given to which segments of Egyptian society to organize themselves for political landmarks, including, but not limited to, parliamentary and other elections.
[1:40 pm EST]
The army`s Communiqué #3 affirmed the demands of the protesters but also saluted former President Husni Mubarak for his service to his country (perhaps in the interest of stability and order, but not a great sign in any case). The army is keen on conveying that President Mubarak himself decided to step down without adding any detail, as though this is a mundane move of sorts. Significantly, the communiqué did not ask the protesters to go home as did Omar Suleiman the day prior.
[1:50 pm EST]
For what its worth, Syria`s official television station just interrupted their broadcast and switched to Al-Jazeera`s broadcast, announcing that what happened today was the "fall of the Camp David regime," in an evident effort to stand behind the people of Egypt and to distance itself from the former Egyptian regime (more about this in other posts--time to go back to Tahrir!)
[3:45 pm EST]
Besides more jubilation, congratulations, and lots of analysis, there are no real updates at this point. The art and civility with which Egyptians are celebrating is remarkable, considering the record of the regime.
Now, all local, regional, and international players seem to want real democracy in Egypt, even the United States. Everyone is sending their congrats (and of course, most Arab dictators did a 180 since this morning to support the Egyptian people. But fret not, Israel is holding out. No jubilation in the previously "only democracy in the Middle East"). The tide is turning.
[This post will be updated throughout the day]