Egypt's military rulers have asked a panel of advisers for suggestions about handing over power to civilians earlier than the scheduled deadline at the end of June, state news media reported Sunday.
Whether the request signals an intention was unclear. It follows a week of major protests demanding an immediate handover, and the request may be an attempt to help calm the unrest. The military council took power at the ouster last year of President Hosni Mubarak, and hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets across Egypt last week for the anniversary of his overthrow.
The military had previously said it would give up power only after the ratification of a new constitution and the election of a president, both expected by the end of June, a schedule that could enable the military to shape the constitution by overseeing its drafting.
The panel of advisers the military is consulting is the advisory council that the ruling generals created in December to put a civilian face on its rule. The group met only intermittently and formally disbanded soon after its creation in protest over the military's crackdown on demonstrators calling for its ouster. The remaining members, who have continued to convene from time to time, are to report back to the military council on Wednesday.
Also Sunday, turnout was reported to be low as Egyptians voted for the largely advisory upper house of parliament, or Shura Council, in elections that are the latest step in the country's planned transition from military to civilian rule.
U.S EMBASSY IN CAIRO SHELTERS WORKERS
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo took the highly unusual step of sheltering U.S. citizens employed by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) amid fears that they could be detained as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy groups, according to U.S. officials and a former NGO official.
The move comes a week after Sam LaHood, the country director of the International Republican Institute (IRI), was barred from boarding an international flight in Cairo. LaHood is the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Several other NGO workers later learned that they had also been barred from leaving the country.
Moving the Americans into the diplomatic compound in the center of the capital appeared to mark a dramatic worsening in Washington's relationship with Cairo. A senior State Department official said on Sunday that a "handful of U.S. citizens have opted to stay in the embassy compound in Cairo while awaiting permission to depart Egypt."
