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Egypt military 'agrees new government' | Egypt military 'agrees new government' |
(40 minutes later) | |
Egypt's military rulers have agreed to form a "national salvation government" and speed up the process towards presidential elections, reports say. | |
The move follows days of often violent protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square. | The move follows days of often violent protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square. |
Delegates at a crisis meeting between political groups and the military said parliamentary elections next week would go ahead as scheduled. | Delegates at a crisis meeting between political groups and the military said parliamentary elections next week would go ahead as scheduled. |
They said presidential elections would take place before the end of June next year - a key demand of protesters. | |
Next week's elections are due to set in train a process of transition to democracy following the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak in February. | |
But many Egyptians fear the military intends to hold on to power, whatever the outcome of the polls. | |
The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Cairo says the readiness to bring forward presidential elections appears to be a major concession from the military. | |
Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf), is expected to make a statement later, Egyptian TV reports. | |
Tens of thousands of people packed Tahrir Square on Tuesday evening following days of protests against the country's military rulers. | |
Witnesses said many appeared to reject the latest concessions, chanting: "We are not leaving, he (Tantawi) leaves." | |
On Monday, the military-appointed civilian cabinet led by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf tendered its resignation after three days of violent demonstrations. | |
"Presidential elections [are] to be held by the end of June and the final preparations for handing over power by July 1," Emad Abdel Ghafour, leader of the ultra-conservative Nour (Light) party, told Reuters. | |
"We agreed to accept the resignation of Essam Sharaf's government and to establish a national salvation government," he added. | |
Parliamentary elections that begin next week will be staggered over three months. | |
The military's original timetable called for the new parliament to then choose a 100-member constituent assembly to draw up a new constitution within six months. | |
A referendum would then approve the document before a presidential election is held. That would mean the military still in power until late 2012 or early 2013. | |
Protesters, however, had demanded the presidential vote take place after the parliamentary elections. |