We are all aware of the tense situation in Egypt. The streets are filled with angry people crowding the streets and forming violent mobs sending Egypt into a state of complete chaos. The problems began over President Mubarak and his almost dictator government. People are now protesting his government and are searching for democracy. The people are tired of his reign and want to elect a new leader- Now! Mubarak who has been president for about thirty years is still in control of Egypt or at least we thought he was until February 10th 2011 when Mubarak made a speech.
In his speech he gave power to his Vice President Omar Suleiman, but at the same time he refused to step down before the next election. So here are the big questions. Who is in power Mubarak or Suleiman? Who has control over Egypt, the president or Vice President? Why won't Mubarak do his people a favor and step down? Finally, the most unanswerable question, what will happen next?
As of now it seems that Suleiman is in control, after all he now has the power of the president. Suleiman does have a growing support in Egyptian politics, but that does not mean he is actually the one in charge. Despite giving up his power, Mubarak is still the president and still has tremendous political power. Although, in my personal opinion, I feel that the most influential power is in the hands of the Egyptian people and as we see now they will not settle unless they are happy. Mubarak's measure seems to be his way of buying time, but he still has the power of influence and he knows it. Despite giving up his power, his word affects the entire political scene of Egypt. My final conclusion on this topic is that Mubarak is buying time and it is a matter of time before the Egyptians reclaim their powers as citizens and eventually their government.
Before the speech, it was rumored that Mubarak would just step down and grant Egypt some peace after so many violent protests, but Mubarak had another plan in mind. It is speculated that he did not step down because he was able to get the backing of military in Egypt. He was probably able to offer concessions to maintain support for his highly protested presidency. With military support he could maintain his position. Another theory may be that he actually does believe that he can help the Egyptian people. He may feel like he can meet all their demands and is trying to save face before the September elections? What do you think?
Well we can never know for sure what will happen in Egypt, but i believe that until Mubarak is gone the riots will continue. No matter what Mubarak tries to do, his thirty year run is over, and majority of the Egyptians are done with him. Many are speculating that Mubarak may not remain in power, and if he does it will be violent. Egypt has a long road ahead and as of now and after Mubarak's mixed speech, the future is more unclear than ever.
Sources:
- http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_exclusive/20110211/pl_yblog_exclusive/mubarak-stays-on-key-questions-and-answers
- http://cdn.venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/egypt-protests.jpg
