Egypt’s newly appointed prime minister was greeted by cheering crowds of protesters in Tahrir Square yesterday as the government reportedly set a March 19 date for a referendum on amendments to the constitution.
It was unclear whether the latest moves would be enough to appease the crowds thronging the square, the epicenter of the recent Egyptian uprising.
Many protesters said they planned to keep holding weekly demonstrations until their demands for sweeping changes to the political system are met. Small groups of activists have remained in the square almost continually since President Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign Feb. 11, and there have been major demonstrations every Friday.
But the reception given to Essam Sharaf a day after he was named prime minister by the military council now running Egypt suggested that the tensions that emerged after Mubarak’s ouster may start to ease.
Sharaf was carried aloft on the shoulders of the crowd after he made a dramatic appearance in the square, delivering a short speech in which he promised to meet all the protesters’ demands.
Sharaf served briefly in Mubarak’s Cabinet in 2004 but resigned within a year. The resignation, as well as his appearance at an anti-Mubarak rally shortly before the president stepped down, had endeared him to the protest movement.
Protesters had called for him to replace Ahmed Shafiq, who was named prime minister by Mubarak after the uprising began, and they said they were gratified when the army heeded their call.