Sufis withdraw from Tahrir Square sit-in
The ongoing sit-in at Tahrir Square suffered a setback as it entered its 16th day on Sunday after Sufi parties and coalitions announced their withdrawal in order to assess the effectiveness of their protest.
Sheikh Mostafa Zayed, the coordinator of the Sufi Orders Coalition, said that the Sufis had decided to withdraw from the sit-in in order to give a chance for the square to be opened to traffic once more.
The Sufis were among various political forces and movements who have been protesting in Tahrir Square, the hub of the anti-Mubarak uprising, for 16 days, demanding that the military council step down and hand over power to a civil presidential council.
As of Sunday, only a few hundred protesters remained in Tahrir, although with the sit-in continuing, traffic is still prevented from moving through much of square.
Some protestors had called for a boycott of the parliamentary elections. However, according to commentators, the high turnout in the first phase of elections was a major setback for the sit-in.
Protestors in Tahrir have also announced their rejection of the appointment of Kamal al-Ganzouri as prime minister of a new government.
Ganzouri, who was asked by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to form a "national salvation government," aims to complete the transitional period.
On Friday, a few thousand demonstrators rallied in Tahrir to honor the 42 martyrs who were killed by police in the bloodiest clashes since Hosni Mubarak stepped down on 11 February.
Meanwhile, a sit-in outside the cabinet building entered its ninth day on Sunday, with protesters making similar demands to those in nearby Tahrir.
Many fear that the army and police will forcefully expel the protestors from the square, as they did in August.
Picture: Sit-in at Tahrir Square. Photo: Mahmoud Khaled.
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