Mubarak has stepped down

Added on February 11, 2011 at 17:52 Italian time
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah had told U.S. President Obama that Saudi Arabia would step in if the United States would withdrew its aid to Egypt. The U.S. funds Egypt with some $2 billion a year, of which $1.3 billion go to the Egyptian military. The Saudi's wanted to keep Mubarak at almost any price. They are afraid of change because they belong to the group of America's disgusting allies too.

Obama stands for change now, but where was he when Mubarak rigged the 2011 legislative elections? Obama also kept quiet when President Karzai rigged the Afghan elections. That is not change we can believe in. The only credible answer would have been not to recognize the electoral results both in Afghanistan and Egypt.

Article added on February 11, 2011 at 17:34 Italian time 
After 30 years in power and 18 days of protests, the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has stepped down. It was up to Omar Suleiman (*1936), the former director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate, to announce it on state television at 5pm Italian time.

It is unclear whether Omar Suleiman wants to step in as the man of transition. He is a man of the military who has partly studied in Moscow. The ex-spy chief is not exactly a fresh face. The new prime minister Ahmed Shafik (*1941) is a former commander of the Egyptian Air Force. He later served as Minister of Civil Aviation. He is another old man of the old regime.

The former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, had made clear yesterday that he considers Mubarak and Suleiman to be “twins”. They represent the same regime.

The fact that Mubarak has stepped down means however that a new page in the Egyptian history has begun. Will Suleiman and other representatives try to cling to power? Check also the article torture and protests in Egypt.

Mubarak and his family have reportedly flown to Sharm el-Sheikh. This may just be the first step to Mubarak's exile.

There are divisions among the Egyptian army. Already yesterday, one got the impression that Mubarak would step down, just to have him announce in his speech later that day that he wants to remain in power during the transition period.

The longer the transition period, the more likely it is that people, who have been involved in the widespread corruption and cronyism, will be able to move assets abroad. On the other hand, a certain time is necessary for the different opposition groups to organize. The only well-organized group is the Muslim Brotherhood.

Non one serious wants them to run Egypt. They will however have to be included in the political process, in the parliament and maybe even in the government, but not as the main force.