Main focus of Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Violence threatens democracy in Egypt

More than 1,700 people have been injured in the protests in Egypt since Saturday.(©AP)

The Egyptian transitional government tendered its resignation on Monday evening in reaction in reaction to the bloody clashes between protesters and security forces that have left more than 30 dead. Now only the upcoming elections can save the situation as the excessive violence jeopardises all the gains of the Egyptian revolution, commentators write.

The end of the shared dream

The basis of trust between the different elements of Egyptian society is a thing of the past, writes the left-liberal daily Der Standard: "It is a tragedy that the first free elections will begin under the shadow of a bloodbath on Tahrir Square. On the face of it, 'the military' is on one side and the rest of the country on the other. In reality, however, not even those who want a new Egypt can reach a basic agreement on what it should look like. The trust between the different elements of Egyptian society is a thing of the past. Once more the horror and anger at the brutality that 'those in power' - first Mubarak, now the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces - use against the demonstrators has welded the country. This is a rude awakening for those wanted to go on dreaming the dream of the patriotic Egyptian army that brought the revolution of the young and dissatisfied to a close on 11 February. The signs had long been pointing in a very different direction." (22/11/2011)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Unrest / Riots, » Egypt
All available articles from » Gudrun Harrer
Who's saying what » Arabs fight for freedom

Only democracy can save Egypt

In view of the bloody protests on Cairo's Tahrir Square, the left-liberal daily Libération calls for a democratically elected government for Egypt: "History has still not chosen whom it will side with: On the one hand those who with their shamefully backward ideas want to delay the beginning of democracy in Egypt. Or on the other those who insist tenaciously that the army should relinquish power to civil society, share its economic might and head back to the barracks. One can only hope that a democratic mechanism, even if not perfect, will be set up as soon as possible. Only democracy, with its pluralism and display of contradicting positions, can defuse the situation. Only democracy can create new forces and thereby counter the extreme threats to the destiny of the most populous Arab country." (22/11/2011)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Unrest / Riots, » Egypt
All available articles from » Vincent Giret
Who's saying what » Arabs fight for freedom

Muslim Brothers are force behind protests

The Egyptian protests that have gone on for three days now highlight the strong influence of the radical Islamic Muslim Brotherhood, the liberal-conservative daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung writes: "That hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Cairo on the weekend may also be a sign of the growing unpopularity of the army, but it also testifies to the ability of the Muslim Brothers and the parties that have emerged from this movement to mobilise the people. In all probability the Islamists who have been watched over by the state will win the upcoming elections. Whether their unusual alliance with the Left and the secular parties will be sustained after an election victory remains to be seen. The only certainty is that Egypt's revolution will only deserve the name if Mubarak's fall ushers in a political system legitimated at the ballots." (22/11/2011)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Unrest / Riots, » Egypt
All available articles from » Martin Woker
Who's saying what » Arabs fight for freedom

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