News / Middle East

Egyptians Clash Ahead of Elections

Egyptian soldiers stand behind a barbed wire fence while guarding the Cabinet building near Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011.
Egyptian soldiers stand behind a barbed wire fence while guarding the Cabinet building near Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011.

Multimedia

Audio
  • Interview with Dr. Walid Phares, author of "The Coming Revolution: Struggle for Freedom in the Middle East"

TEXT SIZE - +

New clashes have erupted in Cairo's Tahrir Square where protesters are pressing their demand for the resignation of the country's military rulers.

Egyptian security forces fired tear gas at crowds of stone-throwing protesters on Saturday. At least one person was killed after being run over by a security vehicle. Egyptian officials say the incident was an accident.

On Friday, security forces and protesters clashed in Alexandria. At least 42 people have been killed in protest-related clashes across the country over the past week.

The unrest is unfolding as Egypt prepares to begin parliamentary elections on Monday, the first polling since former President Hosni Mubarak resigned in February.

On Saturday, the ruling military council held separate talks with two presidential hopefuls, opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa. The Reuters news agency says Moussa and military rulers discussed ways to end the current political crisis.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton condemned the violence on Saturday and urged Egypt to maintain the rule of law.

Many of the protesters have also criticized the military ruling council's appointment of an official who served under Mubarak as the country new prime minister.

Kamal el-Ganzouri said Friday he would not be able to form a new Cabinet before Monday's parliamentary elections.  

Separately Saturday, three American students arrested during a protest in Egypt were put on flights and left Egypt.

Derrick Sweeney, Luke Gates and Gregory Porter attended the American University in Cairo and were arrested Sunday on the roof of a building near Tahrir Square. Officials accused them of throwing firebombs at security forces who were fighting protesters.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

Join the conversation on our social journalism site - Middle East Voices. Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter and discuss them on our Facebook page.

You May Like

Doctors Without Borders Shuts Clinic in Northern Nigeria

Decision comes after five gunmen hijacked an aid vehicle on Saturday More

Experts Weigh In on Challenges of Closing Guantanamo Prison

Former chief military prosecutor at Guantanamo delivers petition to White House with more than 370,000 signatures, demanding facility be closed down immediately More

Karzai to Discuss Enhancing Defense Ties with India

Afghanistan looking for more military aid as it prepares for withdrawal of NATO forces by next year More

Burmese President Opens US Visit with VOA Town Hall Meeting

Ahead of his meeting with President Obama Monday, Thein Sein answered questions on human rights and economic development in his country More

This forum has been closed.
Comments
     
There are no comments in this forum. Be first and add one

Featured Videos

Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Video

Video Calls Grow For An End to Sexual Assaults in US Military

A recent Pentagon report says the number of sexual assaults among people in the military continues to grow. The estimated number of incidents, ranging from groping to rape, increased by 37 percent last year. Both men and women were victims. This is prompting them, and activists, to push for deep changes in the US military. VOA Pentagon correspondent Luis Ramirez reports.