Egypt’s New PM Speaks at Tahrir Square

Sharaf Praises Protesters, Vows to Support Them

Former Egyptian Transport Minister and Prime Minister Delegate Essam Sharaf today spoke before thousands of protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, praising the protesters and promising to do everything in his power to see the protesters’ demands met.

Sharaf was appointed by the military to replace Ahmed Shafiq, who was appointed by Hosni Mubarak shortly before his ouster. Sharaf was said to have attended protests at the time, and has been much better received by the protesters.

Indeed, Sharaf promised that if he was unable to meet all the protesters’ calls for reform he would resign from his position and would rejoin the protesters in the square. His pledges were met with cheers from the protesters.

Post-Mubarak Egypt remains a work in progress for many protesters, who retook the square despite warnings from the military junta and insisted they wanted to remind the military that their demands haven’t changed.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.